Destiny
by I.Dream.Of.Hardyz
Summary: You were always by my side. And that you believed in me was enough reason why: I didn't stop, didn't give up, even if I sometimes lost hope..." One summer and two people: two different lives even 20 years later; never the same. Matt Hardy/OC
1. Preface

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note:** Hey! This is just a few-shot I got from the song "My Destiny" by Katharine McPhee. It doesn't follow the lyrics or anything, but it gave me the idea for the story. I'm not sure how long it will be yet, though, so bare with me. :)

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Many _think_ they know Matt Hardy. Many idolize him like he's some Greek god on a pedestal, someone who is above the rest, just like they do his brother. But they don't really know him. They don't _really_ know how he was in high school.

I do. I was there.

Many think that Amy Dumas was his first love. And to a degree, they're right. But that's only because I moved. We were best friends if only for that one summer. It was a magical summer; just him, me and Jeff on his '_wrestling mat_', watching them become the stars they are today.

I've been there. I know how Matt is. And maybe if I didn't move to Los Angeles, things would be different today.

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	2. Welcome to Cameron

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note:** 5 reviews? Wow, didn't expect that. :) Thanks so much! Sorry for the wait of this, I've been really busy and stuff. Hope you enjoy (and continue to review)!

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I moved around a lot of as kid. My mother loved to move and travel and she especially had a fascination with small towns. Never could I figure out why, it was always strange to me. What was there to see? Not much. We never moved anywhere with more than two-thousand people there.

It made schooling difficult and bizarre. Most of the people in my schools had been together all of their lives by the time I got to high school and every time I was "the new girl" I was shunned. I grew used to it quickly. By any means I wasn't quiet, but I didn't mind being alone. No one really seemed like my kind of person anyway. I always liked making up my own world anyway.

Storytelling was my thing.

Fantasy. Romance. Horror. Drama. Tragedy. I loved anything that had to do with writing and making a life for a new person in my mind. I didn't need friends for that which was wonderful, though the people in my schools always did make perfect subjects for characters.

I was getting used to a small town in Connecticut one day in April when my mother came home from her job as a waitress, looking bored. "We're moving," she said so suddenly it almost gave me whiplash. Even after moving twelve times in seventeen years, this time happened to get to me. We had lived in Harbor, Connecticut for almost a year. I was comfortable. I had places I liked to spend my time writing in. I even had a friend… well, sort of. Stacia didn't speak English too well, but it was better than sitting alone in lunch.

"Why?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"This place is starting to bore me. Same ol' thing every day, D. I go to work, seeing the same things, the same places and the same faces. It's time for a change."

I really should have been used to change at that point. Yet even a week later as I sat in the back of my mother's old station wagon, I couldn't help but be sad. Picking up and leaving a place you loved in a week wasn't something I really could favor. How could she do this to me?

That was the first time I was angry when we moved.

"Where are we going again?" I whined in the backseat, giving my mother hell the entire ride. She had on some old Beatles song, one I wasn't familiar with. My mother was obsessed with them.

"It's a really cute small town in North Carolina, D. You're going to love it there. Only about one hundred people."

That was definitely the smallest I had ever heard of. "What?"

"Don't give me any lip, D! I don't want to hear it." She sighed, looking at me through the mirror. "I don't understand why you're so upset about this. We move all the time."

"Maybe that's the problem," I muttered. With that, I crossed my arms and pretended to be asleep.

I awoke nearly six hours later, finding myself surrounded by trees, the car stopped. It was a wooded town! I was surrounded by a bunch of trees! I hated it already. I wanted out of there. "Mom?" I croaked.

She wasn't in the car. I lurked out, the air much more humid and warm than it was in Connecticut for even late April. I found my mother dancing in the doorway, dusting something I couldn't even see. "Where are we?"

She looked up, "What hunny?"

"I said where are we? What is this place?"

She smiled, leaning on the white-wood porch, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Home. Welcome to Cameron, North Carolina, D."

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	3. Hey there

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews! I promise it'll get more interesting after this chapter. Things will be explained, too, I promise. ;) Enjoy!

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I was going to a school that was only a town over. It was in Vass, North Carolina. School population? Only 320 people went there. I wanted to scream. For once in my life, I felt like the small town was suffocating, the area horrible. All around me was woods, woods and more woods.

For the first week of school, I laid low. Went to all my classes, got my work done and caught up… basically all the stuff I needed to. It was easy. I faded into oblivion like normally happened to, sitting in a corner lunch table during my lunch break, one that no one happened to touch since it had a wobbly leg and it was nearly impossible to sit on.

It was during that lunch period on May first when I met him. I was heading to my broken down lunch table, a salad on my plate. He was walking backwards and didn't see me. Apparently, there was some chick he was staring at. So we bumped into each other (as walking with your eyes to the ground doesn't really help your balance much).

"Whoa, sorry," he exclaimed, grabbing my tray before it fell noisily to the ground. Then he straightened up, a warm smile on his face. I could feel his eyes looking over me, totally checking me out. "Hi."

I smiled a little, only waving.

I studied the brunette boy as handed me my lunch tray and continued to look at me. He had dark brown eyes that we a chocolately color, really warm. His smile was a little unsure though it held a really touching gesture to it. He was pretty built, looked like he worked out. And he had a horrible square-like hair cut. "Are you new here? I've never seen you around before. A town like this… I'm sure I would have."

I nodded. "Moved in about two weeks ago."

He stuck out a hand; a big hand. "Matt Hardy."

"Tiny Malibu." Why was I talking to him? I couldn't think straight for some reason though. It was the first time in a long time anyone my age had spent more than five seconds on me.

"Your name is Tiny?" His face went into a deep furrow as he pronounced it, his southern accent thick.

I shook my head as we walked, not noticing I was slowly being led to a new table. "It's short for Destiny. Don't ever call me that or I may not be head responsible for my actions."

Matt Hardy laughed, sitting down at a table that held two other guys, one that looked somewhat like him. "Okay, Tiny it is then." Matt turned to look at the other two guys next while they stared at me curiously. "Jeff, Shannon, this is Tiny. Tiny, this is my brother Jeff and my moron friend Shannon. Ignore him… it helps."

I didn't even know how I was led to that table, sitting with three guys who were all relatively attractive, minus their strange hair cuts. Then again, it was the early nineties and everyone had strange cuts back then so I guess I really couldn't complain. It was just strange how we both walked there when normally everyone just looked over me.

"Hi," I greeted quietly while both of the blondes grinned at me.

One had his head in a notebook, much like I normally did, scratchy handwriting all over the page. The other (who was still staring at me for that matter) had ink drawings all over his arms, stencils of skulls and other strange drawings. I was going to assume this was Shannon.

"So, you said you just moved here. Why the hell did you move to a town as small as Cameron?" Matt asked, pulling over a tray of French fries and stuffing a few in his month. It was gross, but I oddly enough couldn't find anything about him that I didn't find intriguing.

"My mom is obsessed with it," I answered, looking around uncomfortably. How did I get there? Why had I followed him?

He was staring at me, not saying a word. I couldn't help but notice a dark bruise on one of his arms, half-covered by a dark t-shirt. He followed my gaze, looking at the bruise with a smile. "I wrestle," he explained.

"On the team here?"

He laughed. "No, we don't have one yet. They're trying to get one for next year. Too bad I'll be graduating."

I waited.

"I do some backyard wrestling. We all do."

"You mean… like that WWF stuff?"

He nodded. "I love it."

"Me too," Shannon piped in.

I fell silent, my heart racing wildly at his answer. "Well… uhm… I guess I'll be going back to my table now," I finally muttered, never feeling more out-of-place in my life.

Matt frowned at me as I quickly picked up my tray, jogging forward. "Nice to meet you," I called out as I walked quickly away. And just before I could make it out of the cafeteria, I broke down in tears, falling to the floor.

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	4. An endless fight I never seem to win

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Thanks mucho for the reviews! ^__^ Sorry for the wait of this. Got jumbled with the idea. And I also apologize for any off grammar, etc. in this chapter. Forgive me, I'm on an antibiotic for both strep throat and a sinus infection so I'm a bit dizzy, lol. But I wanted to finish writing this chapter and get it up. I hate keeping people waiting. :( Lol. Anyway... again, thinks will be explained in time... enjoy!

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I was only alone for a few seconds before a large shadow clouded my already blurred vision. Sniffling, I stood up, looking at the person with a bit of distaste. When I ran away crying, I hated when someone followed me. Why didn't people understand that when you cry, you _want_ to be alone? Or, at least in my case, I did. Especially now since Matt was staring at me curiously, his head cocked slightly to it's left.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked carefully, his voice low. It seemed he didn't want to attract anymore attention to me which I was grateful for. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all.

My lips were parched as I tried to answer, failing quickly. I shook my head instead, taking my t-shirt to wipe away my tears, along with a good coat of mascara.

I couldn't help but be mystified by his perplexed smile, the way his lips curled up slowly into a closed, shy grin. The smile was careful as he knew I was upset, even if he didn't know the reasons behind it. With a gentle moment he put out his hand. I stared down at it like it was a foreign object. Matt's hand backed away.

Instead, his body slowly sank to the ground and he sat next to me. He had an earthy smell, as if he spent a lot of his time outdoors. "Look, I'm sorry if I upset you… I just…"

"You didn't upset me," I lied quietly, while I stood up, quick to start rocking on my heels. How awkward could it be to be crying in the hallway at a new school, in front of a decent guy who actually seemed to give a damn about a girl's feelings? Really awkward, let me tell you. You didn't want to be the new girl, let alone the new girl who happens to cry during her first week. The label 'weird' would be slapped on your forehead in a maximum of two seconds.

Matt didn't seem to believe me while I re-gathered my fallen books from the floor. His brown eyes burned in my back, knowing my words were a lie. My mom always said I didn't have a poker face; my expression was an open book. It was times like this where it became a curse. Then, before he could work up the nerve to say something to me again, I stood up, a firm yet forced smile on my face. "I need to go."

"Tiny!" he called while I jogged away; totally forgetting it was the middle of my lunch break.

If I was anywhere near him again, I was going to have another fall out. I didn't want him to see that twice in one day. So, I did what any girl did when she didn't fit in, when she wanted to hide away at school: I went to the bathrooms. This was a time before there were security guards, only hall monitors so being caught wasn't an issue. Yet, something told me even looking back on it, a school that small probably wouldn't even need a hall monitor.

The door crashed open as I ran into it, not bothering to look for any other girls inside. I dropped my books on the sink, letting my backpack fall to the ground with a thick and heavy thud. Then, I looked in the mirror at my raccoon eyes, the ones that hid the pain I worked to hide. It took me a minute to realize staring in the mirror wasn't going to get me anywhere, only make me pity myself further.

That night at home, I realized I had never had any kind of problem like that during my first week. Sure, I had my fair share of bullies and morons who liked to make a new kid's life hell, but never before had I met someone who could be considered a friend on my first few days. Usually, that took weeks… just for a friendly smile. What made this time different? How did fate deal in with Matt Hardy smacking into me? Was there something meant to be there?

The only thing I could remember was pain. A whole lot of pain.

-

I made sure over the next few days to avoid any run-ins with Matt, Jeff, or Shannon in school. This happened to be very hard being the smaller the school, the more likely I was to have classes with them all. Being it was me, I had a majority of my classes with at least one of them, not including lunch. So I got to class at the last possible second before it began, just so they didn't have a chance to speak with me. I didn't go to lunch so they didn't have the chance to corner me. Hell, I even functioned my locker schedule so that our paths didn't cross.

I was just too embarrassed to even see them again. What kind of girl meets three people and runs away crying? It screams strange in my eyes. What would they want me with anyway? I was better off on my own. My problems couldn't cause any more confusion then. If I was on my own, no one had to deal with me, which was the best thing in my eyes. Then, when my mother got bored again, I could pick up and leave, no questions asked.

It didn't stop Matt from trying though. Especially him, actually. I'd see him in the halls from the corner of my eye, trying to inch his way over to me. Why wouldn't he give up? Part of me was angered. His attempts got more annoying by the day and by the time I was on my fifteenth day in Cameron, I wanted to hit him. Being stubborn unquestionably held a heavy trait in his make-up.

Was I that important? Couldn't he just drop the subject, forget about me? Somehow, something kept him coming back. I didn't know what just yet, but I knew something was there… at that point, most would have given up.

-

As May dragged on, I began to take walks after school. I found them cleansing and an easy way to relax. There was an easy abundance of land everywhere, so a new path could be explored everyday. The thick air didn't seem to bother me, only motivated me. I always thought the northeast had sick amounts of humidity, but I was quickly learning that North Carolina had Massachusetts beat by a mile.

I didn't really miss home anymore though. It was strange.

Brushing my way through the woods, I thought about the dainty suburbs in which I had lived. Here it was different. People seemed to actually care about one another here. Up north, you were lucky to get a friendly gaze. In Cameron, everyone said hello like you were old friends. The suburbs made it so you were everyone's business as well. I was quickly finding that it was a rare appearance to see another car on our block.

The house in which we moved to was hidden by a canopy of thick pine trees and other bushy wildlife.

There was a pond too. I had found it on one of my walks along the base of my house. It was hefty in size… wide enough for me to not get too close to the water. There were wildflowers that seemed to stretch as far as my eyes could see with water bushes to add more effect. And that's exactly where I was heading. It had quickly become what I considered "my spot". I brought a notebook there a lot and wrote whatever came to mind. Sometimes though, all I could think about was Matt Hardy. This was silly to think about as I had spent the past two weeks avoiding him at all costs.

But as soon as I sat down on the mossy ground each day, my mind wavered right back to that shy smile, the one that was seemingly forever imprinted in my mind.

What was more ridiculous happened to be that there wasn't much to think about. We had met once and shared a maximum of ten minutes face time. So I wasn't really relying on much. But with each story I wrote, if a male character happened to be a part of it... well, let's just say it sounded exactly like Matt each time.

I scrolled my latest entry in my spiral notebook.

_The breeze picked up as she dug her moistened feet into the sand, holding back the tears which had happened to come every time she stepped here. There wasn't any stopping them. Each time she happened to come to this spot, the image she worked so hard to forget came back at her like whiplash. Her sand covered hands worked their way up to her blotchy eyes, feeling the swollen aspects of her skin. A haunting sob escaped her mouth while she heard the ocean drown out the sound of her pitiful cries._

_Then, two strong arms wrapped around her, forcing her out of the fetal position she was in. They seemed cold to her as she pulled herself on the individual, the blubbering that escaped her lips the last thing on her mind. It felt right to be in his well-built arms. She could count on him always being there as the world came down…_

I laughed coldly at my writing, taking the page out and tearing it into pieces. Who was I kidding? Any moron could see what the writing was about deep down. The more important question was though: why was I writing about Matt Hardy holding me?

Snickering at my own stupidity, I snapped my wrist back and tossed the shredded paper into the water, watching as it sat there for a while until the absorption won and it fell beneath her gaze.

"Littering isn't good for the environment," a voice teased from behind me.

My eyes snapped up in shock at the voice I happened to recognized. I didn't answer though. Instead, I pulled my notebook closer to my chest and stared out at the gently rippling water in hopes that he'd go away.

It was stupid really. There I was writing stories about the guy and when I came face to face (or back to face if you want to get technical) with him, I couldn't help but freeze in place and hope that maybe I was dreaming.

A long, drawn-out sigh whistled from behind me, followed by the sound of sneakers rubbing wet grass. It was apparent to me that he had sat. "I don't know why you hate me," he started softly, "But I wish you could at least tell me so I don't have to wonder anymore."

I had to turn. "You think I hate you?"

Matt Hardy seemed shocked that I had twisted in his direction. "What else did you want me to think?"

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	5. Words, emotions, and a stubborn boy

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Yay, thank you for the reviews. ^__^ Again, sorry for the wait of this chapter. I'm in finals week at school right now (my school gets out really late) and I actually have been studying... which is shocking for me. Anyway, y'all don't care about that. Enjoy the chapter!

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I had to turn. "You think I hate you?"

Matt Hardy seemed shocked that I had twisted in his direction. "What else did you want me to think?"

My hair fell into my eyes as I nodded, understanding his logic. There was a brief period of uncertainly for what I wanted to say before I felt someone touch my face. And suddenly, the hair was gone and I was staring right into the ideas of Matt Hardy. Stunning couldn't even begin to describe the beauty I found in them. Most brown eyes I wasn't attracted to, but there was an alluring factor about his… something I couldn't place. This was probably why I was staring at him, not saying anything else.

"Tiny?"

I broke my gaze, staring back at the softly rippling water. "What?"

"If you don't hate me… then I don't get it."

"There isn't much to get." My lips pressed together as I said this. Even to me, that didn't make much sense. Poor guy. A tornado of a person had been thrown into his lap without even knowing it. Something told me his life was probably a lot less confusing before I had moved to that stupid small town.

Matt sighed, pushing himself back into my view. I was quick to fight away his gaze again for a reason I wasn't sure. I was definitely physically attracted to him… but there was something that kept me from allowing the lust to rage its course. Deep down, I knew the fears I had, in my heart, but my head was laughing at this, wondering why I would think such a stupid thing in the first place. The idea I had going meant I would be close to Matt Hardy. And obviously, with the way I was acting at that moment… wasn't ever going to happen.

"Tiny, you're really puzzling me here. I know I'm being stupid as fuck right now. You'd probably think some normal guy would just walk away and never look back… but I can't get you off my mind. You just won't leave it, damn it."

His words were slightly annoyed. Did I annoy him, or was it just my presence in his mind that irritated him?

It should have made my attraction to him happy, seeing he couldn't get me off his mind, but something told me not to assume it was in the way I was thinking. Matt seemed stubborn, the type of person who would spend days on end trying to solve a rubrics cube even though he could just replace the stickers. And I was a challenge. Why did the New Girl have a vendetta against him when he did nothing but offer friendship?

He was waiting for me to reply to his comments. I didn't really have a reply. Would it be any different if I said he hadn't left my mind either? Then again, when you're trying to avoid someone and his friends that person happens to be on your mind a whole lot, regardless of who they are.

And then there was my story, floating on the bottom of the pond. If my subconscious was trying to tell me anything other than the obvious, it was to let the stupid little wall I'd placed up fall down. It really wasn't that hard… and I was just stupid. But, like I said: Matt was stubborn and he didn't have any plan on leaving with a satisfying conversation.

"Are you just going to ignore me?"

"If I do, will you leave?" I didn't mean for my words to come off as cold.

"And you say you don't hate me."

I blinked, refusing to hold his gaze. Looking away, I watched a bird fly over us. "I don't hate you," I whispered. "I'm just protecting myself."

A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "From what? I'm not some child predator or anything. I'm just trying to be your damn friend and you're treating me like shit."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He rolled his eyes, anger rising slightly. "You certainly aren't acting so."

"If I don't get attached, nothing can hurt me."

This time, I did hold his gaze. It was one of complete and utter bafflement. "_What_?" he asked. "Tiny, okay, you win. You've officially lost me as a whole."

"Just… forget it. Forget I ever mentioned it. Look, I'm sorry Matt, but what I'm doing? It's for the best. Please… just let it be. I need to go." And before he could ask anymore questions, I stood up and ran through the woods, hoping he wouldn't follow

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	6. Smash that wall that I'm up against

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Whoops! Sorry for the wait of this again. I try to update alot and then fall behind anyway. Grr! Anyway, thank you for the reviews. ^__^ Funny, I thought this story would be like four or five chapters long. Sooo off there. Haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

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By the time I got to my house, my breathing had become erratic and my thoughts and line of vision had become cloudy. My chest rose thickly and fell again as I swarmed my way toward my room, trying to stay quiet as possible. If my mother saw me like this, she would be sure to ask what the problem was. And I really didn't want to explain to her that I was running from a perfectly nice and good-looking boy who wanted to be my friend. I'd surely get an odd reply back.

My bed was welcoming. It calmed my breathing and gave me a chance to think. Matt didn't follow me. With the realization of that fact, my mind was torn. When a girl runs, a little part of her always wants to be followed. Then, the other part, at least my part was glad. The weak excuses I had were running low and I couldn't come up with anymore.

That's when the doorbell rang. I didn't think anything of it at first and slammed my head repeatedly into my pillow.

Then I heard his voice. "Hello Mrs. Malibu, I'm Matt Hardy. I live a few miles from here."

"Hello, Matt. What can I do for you?" My mother was always quick to lay on the polite tone with a stranger. 'You don't need a new enemy because of a bad first impression,' she says.

"I'm actually looking to speak with your daughter… uhm, Tiny, please. It won't be too long."

I could nearly feel my mom's smile. "I don't think she's home right now, Matt. But I'll be sure to tell her you stopped by when she comes back." _Yes!_ I thought and silently cheered. He would go away at least for a little while.

"Are you sure? I was sure I saw her come in only moments before I arrived here." Damn stubborn Matt. He couldn't just give up. And he had to look like a stalker, no less.

"I'll check, but I don't think so."

I cursed and quickly pulled the covers over my head, pretending I was asleep. Immaturity was at a high point, but I didn't care. If he wanted to show up at my house, I was fully prepared to pretend I was sleeping.

The door to my room crept open. There was a brief pause as my mother studied me and the wooden entryway closed again. Yes!

"I'm afraid she's asleep," my mother apologized. "Like I said, I'll tell her you came by, though, dear."

"Oh," Matt replied, his tone thick with hurt. "Okay. Thanks, Mrs. Malibu. You have a great day."

-

Over the next week at school, I successfully avoided all of Matt's attempts to contact me again. Somehow, he still found it important to get to know me. Honestly? I didn't think I was all that worth the chase. There were several other beautiful girls who went to this school, even one of them I was sure happened to be 'gaga' over Matt. He'd never notice though. Every time he wasn't harassing me (or attempting to) I'd see him talking about wrestling plans with Jeff and Shannon. He loved it. You could just tell. The look in his eyes was one of pure bliss.

I thought as the last days of school arrived I could get away with not speaking to Matt. Maybe even then make it through the summer and by then my mom would get sick of Cameron and pick up and move again. After all, she never did stay in a place very long.

But luck doesn't ever seem to go my way.

One day, two days before school was set to end, I was struggling with my locker after the last class of the day. When I arrived here there weren't any good lockers left. The locker they gave me was in a nearly deserted hall near the gym which happened to smell like rotten fish and an old stink bomb. Since the lockers were so damn old, they never opened. Meaning, I spent a good five minutes trying to pry it open every day. I really should have known that Matt would catch up to me eventually.

"Come on you piece of crap," I snapped, throwing my small fist at the metal. Bad idea. I cursed as the impact set in. _Ow_. Common sense told a normal person not to hit a metal door… but well, ah, I didn't have much of that, you see.

"Most people use the lock to open the door here," a voice said as I held my hand close to my chest, silently cursing the locker. Immediately as my mind recognized it, my body stiffened. Why did he have to find me?

"Please," I pleaded quietly. "Just leave me alone, Matt. I'm not worth your time."

"I'd like to think otherwise."

"You're thinking wrong."

He sighed slightly. "That's really a matter of opinion."

And suddenly, after weeks of running and hiding, I was curious: why did he never give up on getting to know me? "Why?" I demanded, turning to face him. "Why am I so damn important to you? Why can't you be like everyone else in this stupid school and ignore me?"

He looked taken back by my sudden outburst but quickly recovered. "I'd like to think I read people well."

"What?"

"Tiny, I don't know _what_ it is with you. I shouldn't care. I've already told you I can't keep you off my mind. It's annoying. No, I take that back. It's torture. You're all I think about and you don't give me the time of day. What is it going to take to get you to just act civil with me?"

I regretted asking him as he said these words. Now he expected an answer, which as silly as it was, I couldn't give. Oh, no don't get me wrong, I had an answer. But my answer wasn't one I wanted to share. I didn't share it with anyone. And I didn't want Matt to be the first.

"You're crying."

I was? Touching my face, I confirmed his words: I was. Shaking my head, I forgot all about the books in my locker and tried to get around his large frame with no such luck. "Move, Matt."

"No," he said in a low voice. "I'm not leaving until you tell me why we can't be friends."

"I did already."

"Forget that protecting yourself shit, Tiny. I don't believe you. Being friends with me isn't like you're jumping into an ocean of shark infested waters. I just want—"

"I can't give you want you want."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because is not an answer."

"In my book, it is." I knew he was getting annoyed by my answers. And funny enough, the more I gave them, the more I wondered just how _I could_ get him to leave me alone.

"Well, write a new book. Because you're not leaving this school until you tell me."

"And who says you're the boss of me?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he stared off into the vacant hallway. In the distance I could hear the chatter of some after school club having fun. Here it was hell. "I don't want to care so much," he finally said in a low voice, "But I do. And I can't stop caring, Tiny. So please, give me some relief here. What could I have possibility done to deserve this shit?"

For the first time in a long time, I looked Matt directly in the eyes. And in those eyes I could see the pain he happened to be feeling from my behavior. It wasn't fair to him, that much I knew. But how could I share that with him? There are just some things a girl doesn't share with people. This was one of them. But I also knew he was never going to leave me alone. My luck, I'd move and he'd follow me. The rest of my life I'd be plagued by Matt Hardy.

So, in that moment, I took a chance I never thought I'd take. I took a chance of trust. I took a chance in friendship. I took a chance in bringing back the past I worked so hard to erase from my mind.

He watched as I dug into my purse, pulling out my wallet. In the back of it, crumbled into a flimsy sheet was once a strong photo. Then, as he stared at the torn paper, I handed it to him. I watched as he opened it and studied the photograph with curiosity.

"Who is this?" He flipped it so I could see.

Almost instantly, tears filled my eyes. I hadn't looked at it in so long. God, I missed him. For a moment, I didn't think I could speak. Finally, I said though, "He is my brother."

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**A/N: I know it makes no sense probably right now, but I promise I'm going somewhere with Tiny's little picture. ;)**

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	7. Flashback to the past

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **You can thank Sarah Dessen and Taylor Swift for this chapter. Between reading one of Sarah's books and listening to Taylor's first album, my spark for this story relit again. I wasn't sure how I was going to write this chapter until I did that stuff. Anyway, thank you for the reviews and please enjoy! :)

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Matt stared at my tear-filled eyes for what seemed like forever. He didn't say a word and it didn't even seem like he noticed I was crying. Maybe he was thinking. He had to be. I had just thrown him for a loop. He probably didn't understand that by mentioning my brother, I'd unleashed a past that hadn't been visited in a good ten years.

I spoke first. "I know it makes no sense to you right now but I'm telling the truth. The person in the photograph is my brother. His name was Gavin."

Matt smiled for a moment and then it quickly turned to a frown. I knew he was dissecting my words. "_Was_?" he finally asked, moving closer to me. We probably looked insane, sitting in the hallway, my knees so far up to my chest that I looked like a rag doll, almost. And Matt, who had one knee up, the other beneath it, staring at me intently.

And with the word 'was', I told Matt everything about Gavin, why I ran from him the day at lunch and why I had been such a bitch to him for a reason he couldn't understand.

My brother and I were close. Really close. As in we did a lot of things together and we were like twins, even if he was a year older than me. We went to baseball games together, with my mom and my dad, cheering on the team we thought was better while screaming the other team 'sucked'. We thought we were so cool, using the word 'suck'.

My father and Gavin were big wrestling fans. My childhood consisted of wrestling matches and going to local shows. Every wrestler I knew the name of at one time. Gavin loved it. He said he was going to train and be the next Hulk Hogan one day. Something told me he would have been.

It was a late winter night. It had recently stormed in New Hampshire, where I had spent the majority of my younger years. The roads were covered in thick sheets of ice, covered by snow so you couldn't see it. Mom had sent out dad for pizza. Our stove had broken and we needed something cheap to eat. Gavin decided he would go with him. I was getting antsy for food as a ten minute trip sifted into a half hour wait.

"Daddy is just driving slowly," my mother murmured to me, her eyes glued on the driveway outside. Even I knew she was worried. There had to be five feet of snow on the ground. And ice in New Hampshire was dangerous. "Dinner will be here soon."

We got a phone call twenty minutes later. I watched as my mother listened intently, before promptly bursting into tears, the water pouring down her face as if someone was holding a watering can over her head.

"Destiny," she spoke, trying to hide what I had already saw, "come on, we need to go somewhere."

"Where?" I spoke back, wondering what was happening.

She looked gravely at me. Even she couldn't hide the trouble we were in. "The hospital."

The doctors told my mother that they went without any pain. It was quick, they said. At the hospital, despite attempts to bring them back, they were pronounced dead. I never found out the details of the accident and I don't think I'll ever want to know. There I was, barely seven-years-old and my eight-year-old brother and father were dead.

The funeral wasn't all that hard. I understood what had happened, but part of me expected it to be a gag and they'd come walking back into the door, smiles on their faces, excited for the next wrestling match on that night. So I sat like stone during the horrible ceremony, unsure why everyone was crying. They'd be back, I knew it.

But as the days went on, suddenly it became aware that they weren't. And that's when the packing began. Only a week after everything happened, my mother boxed all our stuff and began to toss out a lot of what belonged to my father and brother.

I had snuck it on night and took an oversized Hulk Hogan t-shirt Gavin got at the last event we'd been to. It was much too bit for him, even bigger on me, but it smelled like him. The grass-like smell. I also took all his other wrestling memorabilia. To this day, it sits packed away in my closet.

And only two weeks later and we were on the road for the first time. Texas was the first place we parked our selves at. We had a nice little apartment, near a lake. My mom took a job as a waitress. We lived well. But even if I tried to bring it up, she refused to speak about my father or Gavin. Soon, they were erased from our vocabulary and later, our minds.

My father loved the name Destiny. He said it was such a powerful word. It meant something. Where would you end up? What was your fate? That's when I began to hate the word and my name. Destiny… HA! It was nothing but a bunch of bull. My mother started to call me 'D' and I picked up the name 'Tiny' wherever we went. It helped being that I was tiny to begin with when I was young. Only when puberty hit did I sprout like a beanstalk.

With my name, something also left: my love of wrestling. I watched for a year after their death, sitting through many good matches. But there was something missing. There wasn't my father's constant profanity to go with it, or my brother's excited laughter every time a heel got hurt. It was plain lonely. So I shed it. And I never spoke of it. The word gave me chills. It was hard for me to see something they both loved so much go on without them. I couldn't bare it.

I think that's what scared me with Matt. He had the same look in his eyes about wrestling like Gavin did. He loved it. He believed he could really be something one day. And it brought it all back. Every night with my family, watching the matches, cheering for the good guys like Hulk while the bad guys got booed. There I had pushed everything about my painful past out the door and Matt Hardy had to show up with his 'I wrestle' talk and bring it all back full swing.

It wasn't fair. The night we left New Hampshire, it should have stayed. But Matt Hardy had to change things.

"You're crying," a voice said, bringing me from my daydream.

I reached up, not sure if I believed him or not. But I was. Tears were coming from my eyes. Maybe they were the tears that had been inside me for all those years, finally coming into view. With the realization of this, I began to cry harder, my body racking with sudden sobs.

And Matt did something I didn't except. He pulled me closer and hugged me tightly, telling me it was going to be alright.

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	8. Under the pine tree, under the stars

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. ^__^ Sorry for the wait of this chapter, but thank you for the reviews. This is relatively short, but there is no point of dragging it on, I guess. Lol. Enjoy!

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We sat like that for a long time. In fact, we sat there until the janitors made us leave the school, telling us to go home. I didn't want to go home though. Actually, I was sure if I went home, I'd open a can of worms and my mother would get the way she usually did when someone mentioned her late husband and son. I couldn't face that.

Matt seemingly understood this. He took his truck and drove me through the tiny town, not speaking a majority of the time. We sat in silence, a song on the radio our only relief. We went past Matt's house where his father was mowing the lawn. Matt had explained that he too had lost a parent, his mother to cancer. We were more similar than I imagined.

"I think she's proud of me," he whispered as we pulled over by a forest area. "My brother and I. We're just two small town kids but you know, I really do think someday we'll be something. It just feels like that can happen."

"I'm sure she's proud of you," I replied softly.

Matt took my hand, tracing his thumb over the points between my thumb and pointer finger. "I'm sure your brother and father are proud of you too."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never really done anything remarkable. And the past? I can't remember ever—"

He stopped me mid-sentence though, shaking his head. "That's not what I mean. You survived; you went on with your life. And that is really something. Do you know how many people never seem to really go on with their lives? I mean, forgetting isn't an option. You don't truly ever move on. But so many people think when tragedy strikes it's the end. But it doesn't have to be."

I smiled at Matt, taking my hand in his too. "You know, for a seventeen-year-old guy, you are pretty smart."

Matt didn't smile fully ever. I learned that much in the time I'd spent there. But this time, I was graced with a full smile, his teeth gleaming. "I should take offense to that."

"But you won't."

"No," he agreed, pulling me closer. "I'd rather do this, actually." And he kissed me, right there in his old-school truck, under a pine tree. It was my first kiss and unlike most of those moments, it was magical. Honestly, I probably sucked but Matt seemed to guide me through it, taking me closer, holding me tight. It was beautiful.

When we pulled apart, our faces were identically goofy. "Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered.

"Sure." He leaned back, the smile still on his face.

"That was my first kiss."

Matt laughed a little, but it wasn't cruel. Instead, it was something that made my stomach grow butterflies; butterflies that actually made me realize in this short time together, I was already growing feelings for him. "You're not bad," he finally answered.

With a shy smile, I placed my hands on my hips, not saying anything.

"Can I take you somewhere?"

Maybe it was courage, maybe it was nerves, but I actually had a good comeback. "If it's the back of your truck, then no."

And he howled as if this was the funniest thing on Earth. "No, it's not." Then, he got out of the truck and came around to get me. With the help of his rough hands, I jumped down. Then, I followed him into the woods, wondering what in the world the woods had.

We walked for a good five minutes in silence. I didn't dare break it. Finally, we came to a clearing. In the middle of it was something like a trampoline, the outline of Matt's house just beyond it. "What is this?"

Matt looked at me with an uneasy expression. "This is where my brother, I and our friends wrestle."

I think he expected another breakdown. But instead, I was intrigued. Ever since I let my deepest secret out, I felt like nothing could bring me down, get me to feel so lousy again. So I think when I walked forward and climbed into it, sure it would collapse on me. But it didn't. It bounced a few times, and then stopped. I sat in the middle, smiling at Matt. "Coming on?"

He laughed, following me. And from there, he climbed on next to me and we picked up where we left off in the car.

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	9. Nothings gonna stop us now

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **I lost inspiration for a few days, but I pushed through this chapter just because I love what has become of this story. I never expected it to go this far. THANKYOUSOMUCH for all the reviews. I really appreciate it. Enjoy!

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Let's just say it didn't just end there. Only a month or so later, the night Matt graduated from high school, I lost my virginity. This had come as a surprise to me. In my slightly younger teenage years, I had always expected myself to wait at least past high school. But emotions were high strung and the mood was right. It was barely June and at that point, I expected to be with Matt forever.

Also at that point I was a part of his posse. Matt was still careful around me with anything wrestling-related but I hung out with him and Jeff, Shannon, and Shane on plenty of occasions. Even once, though it had ended in tears, I had even sat through one of their personal little shows. Matt had the passion then. He's always had it. There isn't another person on this Earth that I've ever met who has the same look in his eyes. It may have been similar to my brother's, but Matt just shined when he was wrestling. It was his love.

When he wasn't wrestling, I occupied his time. Summer was in full swing. The days grew long, the nights short. Matt took me to lakes around the area, to the ocean, anywhere he could take me. I began showing him the writing I had done over the years. For the first time in I wasn't sure how long, I felt right with a person. It didn't feel as if he would laugh in my face at any moment and leave me. We had something special.

Night after night sitting in his backyard, watching the fireflies light up all around us. His father would have the barbeque on not too far away. According to Matt, his father adored me. In fact, as a few weeks went on, I began to find comfort in him too. Matt's father used to allow me to stay at his house when the boys wrestled and he'd talk to me about the younger years with them, raising them alone. He also mentioned his wife at several occasions. Those were times when I only ever saw a smile leave his face.

One time, his comments truly got to me.

Gil sat on the back porch, the sound of hollering boys just beyond him in the words. He had a beer in his hands, a dignified smile on his face. As if sitting in the area he owned, a beer, and the sounds of nature were the best things on Earth. "You must be proud of them," I spoke softly, toying with the can of Coca Cola in my own hands.

He peered up. "What's that, Tiny?" Gil loved the name Tiny. At first, when Matt had first introduced us, he laughed at the name, swearing up and down that Matt was lying to him. There wasn't any way my name could be Tiny. Of course, Matt hadn't gone into the details of my name, for which I was grateful.

I repeated my question to him, followed by the sounds of profanity from beyond the woods. Gil made a face for a moment, and then turned his expression back toward me.

"I am proud of them," he agreed. "Both of my boys balance school and still find the time for what they consider fun. I don't know if anything will ever become of this, but if it makes them happy, so be it. I think Ruby would be proud too. She was such a nurturer. All she ever wanted was Matthew and Jeffrey to be happy. And they are."

I nodded quietly. The look of sadness had come to his eyes. "I'm sure she is. Their father raised two wonderful boys."

Gil smiled. "You know, there has been something different lately, though. I've noticed it."

"Different?" I asked. "How so?" Was he talking about me? Had I misread all his nice words and caring behavior? Had Matt lied to me? Gil was going to trash me, right there. I'd be told to never come back on his property. I'd spend the rest of my life in Cameron the loser I once was.

A serious expression crossed his face. "Matthew is a good boy, Tiny. He's a really good boy." Yep, I was getting thrown out. "And he knows what's best for him most of the time. He works hard wrestling; I can see that every day. When Matt wants something, he takes it by the reins and doesn't let go until it's in his grasp. The light, the sparkle even, doesn't leave his eyes. But lately… something's been different."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hardy. I'll—"

"Sorry?" Gil replied. "Nonsense. Tiny, that sparkle in his eyes? Ever since he's met you it's shined ten times brighter. Everything thing he does, there is more effort in it. He really likes you, sugar."

My throat tightened. Well, that hadn't been what I expected. Not at all. In fact, it had totally thrown me off guard completely. Obviously since I didn't know Matt, I could confirm what Matt's father was telling me, but the man had no reason to lie. Even if it seemed farfetched, it was true. Or Gil wouldn't have said it. "Well, I uh…"

"Jeff totally did something illegal!"

"I did not!"

The boys came barreling in, eyes narrowed at each other. "You did too! Shannon saw it as well. You cost me my match!"

"DAD!"

"DAD!"

Sitting there, I watched as the boys argued, growls escaping their throats, anger in their eyes. Gil only sat there, watching amused as they argued, his lips in a thin line. There was another moment of noise, and then they barreled back out of the back door, deciding they would settle the conflict over a rematch – against each other. Forget their WWE feuds; I had just witnessed a real life Hardy feud, no matter how small.

"Well, that was…"

"Normal," Mr. Hardy answered. "I'm surprised they didn't hit each other."

"That happens a lot?"

He stood up, smiling down at me. "I'm actually surprised you haven't seen it before." He turned to go into the kitchen, though Matt's dad stopped and looked at me, his eyes again serious, "But Tiny, I meant what I said before. Just remember that."

-

Later that night, I sat on the same wrestling ring that they had fought in earlier, staring at the stars before me. It was one of the few things I was beginning to love in the south. You could always see the stars. Beside me, Matt sat, icing his eye. A scowl hadn't left his face since I'd followed him into the woods, him telling a tale about how Jeff had kicked him "accidentally" in the eye. He even put the word accidentally in quotes.

Now, we were just sitting there, quietly. I wanted to say something, but I wasn't sure what. Matt wasn't offering any assistance, after all. Maybe he didn't even want to talk.

I decided to break the ice anyway. "I had a good talk with your father today."

Matt sat up with interest. "You did?"

Shrugging, I flopped into my stomach and smiled at him. "Well, your father did most of the talking, but yeah, I guess you could call it that."

An eyebrow rose. "And what was this talk about?"

I was testing waters here. It was hard for Matt to talk about feelings at times. Clearly, he liked to bottle things up. But I wanted to see if he would confirm himself what his father had said. "You."

"Me?" The other eyebrow rose. "Really."

"Yep."

"Are you going to explain?"

Teasingly, I put my fingers to my lips. "One kiss, one explanation."

He kissed my lips delicately and then stared at me again, a dancing grin on his face. "Tell."

The humor was sucked out of me again. "Well," I said slowly, "he said you liked me. He said you liked me a lot. That you've changed—for the better—since I've arrived."

Matt didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he asked, "He did?"

My eyes didn't leave his carefully guarded ones. Maybe this was a bad idea. I knew better than pressing Matt for things like this. "He did."

He leaned back though, looking at me from a side glance. There was a brief pause in what felt like the entire world before he sighed. "Well, he's right."

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	10. Place a bet on love

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Yippee! Another update. :) T H A N K Y O U for the reviews. They mean the world to me. Not much to say here, but I love this chapter. ... I'm actually really starting to love this story more and more each day. It's really becoming something, I think. Much more than I could ever imagine. Enjoy!

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Those were the words I needed to hear. It was obvious to me at that point: Matt had become a big part of my life rather quickly. I gave him my virginity. That, at least to me, meant something. Hearing the words out of his mouth, confirming what his father had told me made me feel important. Wanted, even. For the first time in my life, I had what I wanted.

I came into Cameron only a month and a half before, the quiet, stone cold girl who no one bothered with. A stubborn boy by the name of Matt Hardy forced that wall down and figured me out to my core. And there, in the summer haze, I laid with him, the feeling of something I couldn't coin other than love in the air. But I wasn't ready to say that yet. Even if I thought it was true, I couldn't.

Matt had replied with something I wanted to hear. If I tried a second time, two out of two, I didn't want to be disappointed. Call it silly, but I was afraid somehow, everything would backfire on me. This would all blow up in smoke. So I would wait.

-

The next day, Matt came tumbling into my room, shaking me from beneath my sheets. My early bird mother had let him in. He dragged me toward my dresser, pulling out what he had dubbed his "favorite outfit" of mine. This could be the fact that it was the most revealing top I had. I wasn't a goody-two-shoe by any means, but I did prefer to leave some to the imagination.

He left the room then, leaving me to stare at the poofy top with a confused smile. Anyone else and I would have clobbered them. Instead, I threw on the clothes and got myself ready for whatever possessed Matt to make me up before noon in the summer.

When I was finished, Matt was smooth talking my mother. She was laughing at whatever he was saying, a large smile on her face. I guess we were lucky there too. My mom loved Matt.

"Morning, D," she cooed as I came in, offering me a freshly made muffin. They were blueberry. My mother's homemade recipe even _I_ didn't know. "Sleep well?"

I narrowed my eyes at Matt. "I _was_ sleeping well until he woke me up."

Matt grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Whatever you're bringing me to better be good."

My mother smiled a little from behind him. Something told me she knew more than I knew. Matt only shrugged though. "You'll just have to wait and see. Hurry up and eat though, we're on a timed schedule."

I stuck my tongue out at him and began to munch on my muffin slowly. He narrowed his eyes playfully at me and then walked out of my house, leaving the screen door to swing like it normally did for five minutes before fully closing.

My mother gripped her coffee in her hands as she sat beside me, a look I knew all that well. The pleased look. "I like him," she said happily. "He's a good boy."

"Ma, please."

"I'm serious, D. He's polite and he treats women with respect, you can tell."

I blushed a little. "I know, mom. Please. Just stop. Before he hears you."

My mom smiled. "Okay, D. Fine. I'm just glad you found someone here, honey. You seemed to hate this place when we first moved here. I think Matt's very good for you and I'm proud of your judgment."

Putting my hands up to my ears, I rolled my eyes and walked out, yelling goodbye as I went. Outside, I saw Matt sitting in his truck waiting patiently (or so it seemed), toying with some paper in his hands. When he noticed me standing there, he waved me over. In his hands were directions. "What are these for?"

Matt smirked. "So I don't get us lost."

Making a face, I climbed into his truck. "Should this worry me?"

"Just a little." He kissed me once and then watched as I climbed into the truck." We'll pick up Jeff and Shannon though and they're both good at directions, so…"

"Why are they coming?" I mean, I liked Shannon and Jeff, I did. But when Matt pulled me out of bed that early we'd be going somewhere on a romantic date. Something told me three boys and one girl in a truck didn't equal romantic. In fact, I was sure to hear plenty of male jokes.

"You'll see."

I scowled at him. Men.

An hour later, I was sandwiched between Jeff and Shannon in the back while Matt struggled with the directions in the front. For whatever reason, he couldn't have anyone in the front with him while reading them. Totally weird.

Then, seconds after Shannon had begun to fall asleep; we pulled into a school parking lot. "Matt, it's summer," I began to point out from the backseat, but he only nodded. "School isn't in session in summer…?"

"You'll see."

I really wished he'd stop saying that. "I really don't like surprises."

Matt smirked a little as if he knew more, which he probably did. "Oh, I know."

He slugged Shannon a few times to get him up and then he, Shannon, and Jeff pulled three duffel bags out of the far back. "What are those for?"

Everyone seemed to ignore me, though Matt laced his hand through mine and we began to walk toward the open doors. He didn't say anything still as we came through them, heading to the gym. I couldn't imagine they'd come here to work out.

And that's when I saw it. My heart nearly froze in my chest and my hand dropped from Matt's. I turned to him, fire blazing in my eyes. "You didn't," I screamed, despite the people around me. "How could you?"

Jeff and Shannon seemed alarmed by my reaction, but Matt didn't. "Shh, Tiny. Be quiet. I—"

"Be quiet?" I yelled shrilly. "You brought me to the one thing you promised you never would!"

"Tiny…"

"Matt, how could you?"

I guess before I could make any more heads turn, he pulled me into an empty classroom, closing the door behind me. "Relax," he said quietly. "I didn't do this to hurt you."

The tears were already in my eyes. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he whispered. "I talked to your mom this morning about it, actually. She thought it would be a good idea for you to come with us. So please don't be mad. You need to be here."

"I don't _want_ to be anywhere near that thing."

Matt sighed, touching his hair. "Please, Tiny."

"No!"

He stalked the room for a moment before coming back to face me. The look in his eyes frightened me. "Do you want to know _why_ I brought you here?"

"I presume to bring something back that I try so hard to forget."

"Exactly," he said softly. "You try so hard to forget something you once loved so much. And why? There is no reason to. Your father wouldn't want you to nor would Gavin. You loved it once and I'm sure you can learn to love it again."

"Matt, I don't—"

"I wasn't finished."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "I really don't want to hear it."

"You do, trust me." Matt took my hand in his. "I also brought you here because pro wrestling is a big part of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life doing this. The thrill and the feeling is something I never want to forget. Considering I'm dating you and you won't go near a ring, we have a problem." I remained silent. He stared into my watery eyes. "Tiny, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It'd be kind of hard to do that considering this is what I plan on doing after college. I want to be with you forever. I want to marry you someday. I did this _for_ you."

I was crying for a different reason now. It made sense. Matt had just spilled everything I never knew he thought. He wanted me to watch him wrestle and learn to love it again so we could be together, never be apart. As a whole, a team even. We couldn't do that if I wouldn't come near it.

I blinked a couple times. "I'm afraid, Matt."

"You don't have to be," he replied softly, kissing me gently on the lips. "There is no reason to be."

Standing, I sighed and placed my arms between his. "When you work so many years to forget something that was once a big part of your life, you get scared."

"Just come watch us perform. I promise you soon enough, you'll forget you ever stopped watching."

He kissed me again, more passionately. I wanted to sink down to the ground with the way he made me feel. Couldn't we just stay in the classroom until the show was over?

Matt pulled away. "Tiny, you're stronger than you think you are. Take a deep breath and just go, go, go. That's how life is."

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	11. Something unexpected

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Note: I posted this when FF first went up again and it didn't realy post that nicely, so I decided to repost the chapter when FF was completely fixed. Thank you sooooo much for the reviews. :) Not much else to say. Enjoy!

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It took me a few minutes, but finally I followed Matt back into the hallway, where a cautious Shannon and Jeff stood, watching me with careful eyes. To show everything was fine, I rolled mine and slugged Shannon in the shoulder. He smirked at me for a moment and then said in the fake whiny voice I loved (on a good day), "What was that for?"

Patting his head, I smiled. "Just making sure you're paying attention."

They boys began to walk and I continued to make jokes and put fake smiles on my face to hide the growing fear in my stomach. Sure, I believed Matt was right in a lot of ways. The only way to get over this was to face my fears, but the thought was still terrifying. I'd make a life out of not going off routine. And there I was about to sit through a wrestling show.

Matt led me through some doors, showing the majority of the gym. The wrestling ring was set up in the middle, rows folding chairs surrounding it. People sat and stood scattered around the room, talking together or staring off into space. Numbers weren't high: it didn't seem like a lot of people would be there. Maybe that'd be a good thing.

"Go find a seat," Matt whispered into my ear, tucking a strand behind my right ear. "The show will start in about twenty minutes. We're the third on the set, okay?"

I swallowed and managed to nod my head. He was going to leave me out there alone. Of course, I should have expected this, considering he was still in street clothes and not wrestling gear, but it still sent my heart into my throat.

"Hey," he whispered again, looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes. "It's going to be okay. Just breathe."

With a shaky smile, I nodded again. "It's harder than it looks."

Matt laughed a little and kissed me on the cheek. With that, he exited through the side doors and left me to stare at the four sided ring in front of me, thoughts swirling through my head like a flushed toilet. I could run. Sit in the truck even. But then I'd disappoint Matt. The last time I had been to one of these events, my brother and father had been at my side, discussing wrestlers and the night's show. I was seated alone tonight, except for an older woman who kept staring at me every now and again.

Surprisingly, the time seemed to melt away and the lights dimmed in the gym. A plump older man came and entered the ring, shouting his name so quickly I didn't quite get it. He announced the matches for the night, and like Matt had said, they were third and going against the Mangi brothers. Whoever they were, of course.

The first wrestler came from behind the curtain to boos. In my head, I tried to remain calm. He was a heel. Part of me wanted to boo along with everyone else, but my heart was still hammering beyond my control and it also seemed to halt my actions.

Shannon was the second person, to my surprise. He looked so tiny compared to the other guy, who was wearing tights and a white shirt splattered with what I hoped was _fake_ blood. He scanned the crowd for a moment and then pointed at me, his smile huge. I tried to smile back. This would be the first time I'd ever seen any of them in action. It was odd. Shannon was good. Not that I expected any less, but for boys who had taught themselves, it was pretty cool to see what the mind can learn on it's own.

Blood guy won though. He seemed to let Shannon get some offense in only to squash him. The crowd (which had filled considerably) booed like crazy as he stalked backstage and a ref checked on Shannon. My heart began to calm a bit. This was nothing different and certainly nothing to be afraid of. Why had I let it bother me?

The second match I couldn't remember very well, but it had ended in disqualification after the opponent—heel—had smashed a chair into the good guy's face.

My heart began to hammer in my chest again as the ring was cleared. The second match was over, which meant two boys I knew very well were coming out next. First, the Mangi brothers came out, to boos. Not as strong as the first two heels, but the heat was still there. Then, when the sound system began to play a song I didn't recognize, the crowd erupted into cheers: and there came the boys.

It was strange seeing so many people yelling for Matt and Jeff. They had to of wrestled here plenty of times before. They were great too. Matt and Jeff took their time going to the ring, slapping hands with fans and smiling broadly, looking very proud. When Matt caught my eye, his smile broadened and he pointed right at me.

That was all it took. I smiled widely back and cheered a little myself. Who was I kidding? It had all come back so easily. Suddenly, I was like anyone else in the crowd. And as if I wasn't even there, two younger girls, maybe fourteen or so were whispering, "Why is one of the Hardy Boys point at _her_?" I could only laugh. Not my problem.

Jeff started out the match after the crazier looking of the Mangi brothers. Fitting, really. They had some good offense and several crazy looking stunts that I was sure would kill either of them at any second, but each time I thought they were dead, both got back up. Then, what I had waited for since they got into the ring happened: Matt was tagged in.

I cheered wildly, letting out my inner fan girl. He looked over to me with a huge smile and waved. For anyone looking, he was being a flirt. To me, he was being a great boyfriend.

Matt was slightly better at mat wrestling than Jeff. He took hits better and applied holds better. Even then, Jeff was the highflyer who took crazy stunts and Matt worked the mat.

It was the near end of the match. I was sure whatever the ending was would be coming soon. Jeff had just tagged to Matt for the second time and Matt had a look of determination in his eyes. The crowd chanted something I couldn't quite understand and I clapped along, feeling naked without doing anything.

Honestly, as I sat there, I would have never seen it coming. The larger, less freaky looking of the Mangi brothers was charging Matt and they locked up in a strange way, going to the ropes. And then, as the Mangi brother sent up a DDT on the third rope, his footing slipped and Matt crashed down on his head in a way that made me cringe before anything even set in. For a moment, all was silent. The Mangi brother looked down, seeing the crumbled and unmoving body of Matt's below him. Soon, the ref was down by his side, shaking Matt gently. Jeff looked shocked and as for me, I was too.

The crowd began to make "ooh" noises and gasps. I stood up, trying to get a better view. Jeff locked eyes with me then and I knew it wasn't part of the match. Something had gone wrong, something that shouldn't have happened. I gasped this time and called out to Jeff, forgetting where we were. He looked at me helplessly. Soon, it was figured Matt was obviously hurt and unconscious. From behind the curtain, a stretcher rolled out. Jeff got into the ring, squatting beside his brother.

Tears formed in my eyes. How bad had he been hurt? Did it just knock the wind out of him? I was out of practice, I had no idea what the injury could have done. For all I knew, it could have broken his spine in two.

Before more hysterics broke out, I felt an arm on my shoulder. It was Shannon. He seemed just as alarmed as Jeff. "Come on," he said quietly, a hoodie on his head. "We need to get to the ambulance before anyone else follows."

"But Matt—"

Shannon shook his head and pulled me from the gym, leaving me to wonder how this just could have happened.

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	12. Thoughts and fears

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Eep, yay, another update. :) Uhm, not too much to say. Thank you for the reviews, they're so lovely.:D Enjoy the chapter!

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The trip in Matt's truck to the hospital felt like one of the longest car rides of my life. There was also a strong feeling of déjà vu as Shannon drove, his bright green eyes icy. I didn't dare speak, though I probably couldn't anyway. My memory was flashing back and forth from present to past. Mom had the same look in her eyes all those years ago. The moment was haunting me.

"Shannon," I gasped out, my voice breaking as I spoke. "Will Matt be okay?" Even though the thrill of watching wrestling had come back to me like riding a bike, injuries were still not my forte.

Shannon didn't answer me. Instead, he pressed his lips together in such a way that they turned an off-white color.

"Shannon," I pleaded. "Talk to me."

Green flashed into my vision; Shannon's eyes. "I don't know. He fell on his neck and head. It could have just knocked him out for a moment, or…"

He didn't have to continue, I knew exactly what he meant. In the truck, at that moment, I felt sick. Either my life was about to become a broken record, or everyone was overreacting. I didn't know what to believe.

At the hospital, Shannon and I rushed into the ER, looking somewhat like lunatics… at least, that was what I was guessing by the looks we received, plowing into the information desk like hyenas.

"Matt Hardy," Shannon said in a curt voice, the most mature I had seen him in a long time. "I need info on him."

The woman behind the desk raised her eyebrows at him and looked down on a pad of paper below her. She then sighed and pointed toward the back behind her. "He's down the hall."

A bit of hope erupted in me as we ran toward several hospital beds. In the far corner, Matt laid, his eyes closed. And for the first time in a long time, I sent a quick little prayer up to God and hoped he was okay, or would be okay. "Matt?"

At the sound of my voice, and much to my surprise, his eyes flickered open. "Tiny," he breathed in relief. A smile twitched on his face, though it was quickly replaced by a grimace. "I thought you'd be in the bed next to me for fainting."

With an annoyed smile, I resisted throwing my arms around him. Part of me wanted to yell, the other, throw a parade in the happiness that he was okay. "Shut up."

"Mr. Hardy will be just fine," another voice said from behind me. A middle aged woman came up beside Shannon, smiling warmly at Matt. "He was lucky enough to fall in a way that only knocked the wind out of him." She paused, looking at Matt's pleased expression. "_Although_, he did sustain a moderate concussion… I would still consider that lucky, seeing what happened."

"He's going to be okay?" I squeaked out, my voice mouse-like.

The doctor smiled. "Perfectly fine."

Apparently, although the doctor had confirmed those words, we still had to spend another hour in the hospital between forms and other—in my opinion—unnecessary things. So by the time we were back in Matt's truck, Shannon still driving, I was exhausted. And we still had a long drive home.

"Where's Jeff?" I realized.

"He stayed after to help clean up the ring. It's part of the job," Matt answered for me, even though something told me he wouldn't count as a reliable witness. Shannon confirmed this though as we pulled into the parking lot, Jeff waiting against a wall. His annoyed look brightened when he saw his brother sitting in the backseat.

Jeff slipped into the backseat and smiled. "Be thankful for your hard head."

"Fuck off," Matt replied in the same tone, slipping his arm around me. My heart still pounded though. Everything was "fine" now but part of me couldn't get over what happened. As soon as everything quieted down, paranoia set in. What if it happened again? And what if Matt wasn't so lucky the next time around? It made me want to run far away and never look back. Then there rational part of me reminded me that I'd only have to run back to be with Matt.

My breath grew labored again, the thoughts still plaguing me. I tried to hide it, but I didn't have the strongest facial features at times. Tears rolled down my cheeks, the image of Matt falling like a skipping CD in my brain.

"What's wrong?" Matt pulled me closer, hugging my arms. This only made me cry harder and I latched on like a leech. As if he could read my thoughts, Matt shook his head. "Tiny, I'm fine. I'll be fine. Stop worrying."

"And the time you wrestle next? What about then?"

"It won't happen," he whispered coolly into my ear. His breath trickled my neck, sending pleasurable shivers down my spine. If it hadn't been for Jeff and Shannon, I would have let things get a bit more steamy. After all, my emotions seemed to be running wild as of late. "It was an accident. It won't happen again."

"How do you know?" I hiccupped, burying my face into his t-shirt.

Firm fingers wrapped around my chin and lifted it until it met Matt's eyes. I lost myself for a moment as the chocolate color made me melt again. If he was trying to kill me, it was working. "Do you trust me?" Did he have to say it in such a husky voice? It was torture.

Swallowing, I nodded. "Yes."

Those firm fingers wrapped me back into a hug. I guess I did feel a bit better knowing Matt was so confident about what he was saying. But a little part of me still clicked around like a wind-up doll. "Then you have nothing to worry about." And that was the last thing I could remember before I fell asleep on his chest.

-

The next day, while Matt still rested up in his room, I walked down the street toward the house. I could hear Matt's father doing something outdoors and like Matt, he had such a believable relief factor to him. It was as if either of them said it, it had to be true. And even though I did trust Matt, I wanted a second opinion. I believed Gil could give me that.

When he saw me coming, he set down the rake he seemed to be driving into the dirt near the woods. A warm smile crossed his face and he opened his arms wide. Matt had told me only a few days before he didn't do that for anyone and that I needed to feel special. "Tiny, my dear," he said happily. "What's going on? Matt's still asleep."

"I know." I pulled away from his father, looking at the ground. "I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something."

Gil set the rake against a tree and motioned for me to follow him around back. I did so, seeing that he had an open beer just about half finished already. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Another deep breath sifted through my lungs. "Matt, actually."

"That is our common link here, yes."

I smiled. "And the wrestling match from last night."

"Oh… you mean where Matt got the concussion?" I nodded. "Okay sugar. What about it?"

This was hard for me to talk about. Normally, I got my feelings down on paper and just read through them myself, hoping my mind would somehow give me an answer. But I found even with Matt's reassurance, this just wouldn't go away. I tried to go back to the past and the future had played a nasty trick on me. I feared if I didn't nip this in the butt, I'd never be free of it.

"I worry about him," I started in a low, level voice. "I mean, people think wrestling is fake and all, and to a degree, I guess it is. But bad things happen all the time. Like what happened last night. I mean… how normal is it? I don't like the feeling it gave me and I just wanted to know—" I stopped short. Rambling, great. Peering up, Gil had a small smile on his face. "What I mean," I started again, "is how do you deal with the chance of injury… like, if Matt's injury had been worse. I don't know if I can deal with it."

Gil took a sip of his beer and stared off into the woods for a moment. "I've thought about this before, actually. Tiny, as you know, I lost my wife at a young age for a married couple. She was a good woman, a very good woman. There wasn't another person like her. And she loved those boys. Loved them more then they might even know. Losing her…" he paused, sighing, "was like losing a large part of me. With wrestling, there is always that factor. Fall on your neck and die. Break your spine. At first, I forbid the boys for even trying. I couldn't lose the rest of my family. You know?"

I knew exactly what he meant. After my brother's and father's deaths, I had clung to my mother for everything. She was the only thing I had left. "Yes," I whispered.

"But, after a while, they'd sneak off and find a way to practice anyway. And I began to notice I couldn't keep them from doing what they loved. They love this business and I know they'll never stop loving it. I want them both to go to college though. There has to be a backup plan. But, I guess my point is you can't erase what they do. They're gonna do it anyway. And the fear is always gonna be there. It's like hopping onto a roller coaster. You know you're going to be terrified, but the thrill of it is what keeps you going. I worry, yes, but I don't let it control me. They know what they're doing. You just need to believe that."

"It's hard for me… I mean, I know I could never stop Matt from wrestling. And that's not want I want." Taking another deep breath, I wasn't sure if I should say the next words or not. "But I care about your son a lot. Maybe I'm crazy in lust here, but these past three months have been nothing but perfection to me. Matt's opened a whole new world for me. I'm scared that I'll lose him somehow. Like, he's going to be ripped from my grasp… like I don't deserve to have this good time. It's not fair."

"Tiny, I've told you what I know before. It's the same for Matthew. Listen to your heart, dear. It won't steer you wrong." He stood, smiling down at me. "I need to get back to my yard work, but you're welcome to stay until Matt gets out of bed."

"Thanks." By my lonesome, I thought about what Gil had said. In many ways, he was right. And he sure had more experience in this than I did. Fear was only as big as you let it be, right? I loved Matt, whether he knew this or not, I did. So I had to find some way around this.

There was a chance I sitting there for hours, or maybe it was only ten minutes. But when a hand fell onto my shoulder, I nearly jumped ten feet into the air. Relief came over me as Matt sat in the chair where his father was. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to wait for you."

He smiled. "I didn't know I was that special."

"Don't go giving yourself an ego, Matt."

Another smile formed, bigger than the last. "Too late."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned forward. "I'd kiss you, but I'm sure you still have morning breath. What's the plans for today?"

"Movie day," he confirmed with a smile. "And then, on Friday, we're going somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Really," I pressed on. "Is this surprise a date? Because you know, the night in your car really wasn't a date, Mr. Hardy. I think I deserve a proper date."

"You'll get that someday," he replied. "But this isn't a date. You'll see."

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	13. Welcome home?

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys. :) Thanks for the reviews. You know I loveeee them. :D Not much to say other than I apologize for the bit of the wait to this. I had half of an update ready for nearly five days but I wasn't sure how the write second half. But I got it today. So, enjoy!

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The next couple of days were torture as I waited Matt's little surprise. When I was alone, I spent my time by the pond, writing down every moment I could remember since Matt and I had gotten together. Truthfully, I had also filled up half a notebook. Everyone moment seemed sweeter as I relived it, my emotions even stronger. There was a way Matt's hand would graze my body as we sat intertwined. While I had thought it would feel wrong, it was just the opposite: I felt loved. There was the way I'd catch him looking at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Those brown eyes. They were full of life, warmth, hope, and dreams. Those eyes had the ability to send chills down my spine and the fuzzy, happy feeling in my overflowing and seemingly always rapid beating heart.

The books, the stories, the songs; they were all right. Love, the feeling of live, was magical. And there wasn't a doubt in my mind: I was in love.

It was Thursday night, mid-July. The sun was getting to the point where it left a haze of light, just enough to see. I probably should have headed back home, but the pond kept me there. When the sun happened to fall, the nature was at its best. You could see all the wild fish on the water's edge, searching for their variation of dinner. A breeze left the high grasses blowing, the smell of honeysuckle and the other flowers in the air. Crickets announced their presence, frogs sang in harmony while they hind the in swampy parts. It was just a beautiful picture.

I sat with my knees pulled up, staring at the small riffles as they glided up the bank. I felt lucky. For once, a move had done something good. I finally had a life I loved. Someone cared enough to look past the title of "the new girl". I was more than that title.

"I love this place during this time of day." The soft, gentle words nearly sent me head first into the water. It took a moment for the words to come into focus and the voice of Jeff's to be recognized.

"You nearly scared me half to death," I breathed out, moving over so he could sit beside me.

Jeff smiled apologetically. Southern Charm in full effect, of course. "Sorry."

"I thought you and Matt were wrestling." That was probably the only reason I wasn't attached to Matt's hip.

"We needed a break." There was a brief silence as Jeff stared out at the water, his green eyes narrowed slightly. Jeff, I was learning didn't have to say much to get his point across. He just stood somewhere, uttered a few words and it all fell into place. I envied him. If I could do that… well, it'd make things easier. But I guess that was why I loved writing. Detail and over explaining was my thing.

Looking at him again, I smiled a little myself. "I took your spot when I moved here. Didn't I?"

"Not really." Another smile graced his lips. "There are plenty of spots to sit around here."

That made sense. This wasn't the only portion of the bank that was clear to sit on. "What do you do when you sit here?"

"Think. Write. Just clear my head."

"You write?"

"Poetry." Jeff laced his fingers together. I noticed nonchalantly a bruise on his hand. A smile crept across my face as I realized I had probably missed a Hardy duel. I could hear them now.

"Matt kicked my hand, dad!"

"Jeff wasn't watching his defense!"

"Matt's just an asshole!"

"Jeff's a sissy!"

"What'd you call me?"

And then Gil would roll his eyes and leave them to duke it out. Back to the trampoline. They'd settle it over a rematch. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I answered. My cheeks reddened. "Just thought of something."

"Oh."

"Not to be rude, Jeff," I continued in a small voice, "but did you come here for a reason?"

Those green eyes lit like sparklers. "Shit! Yeah. Matt wanted me to get you." Fire must have burst through his legs by the way he shot up. So much for the tranquil, quiet moment between us. Around the Hardys, you learned to keep those sacred. "Come on!"

He grabbed my arm and pulled me through the woods, somehow making it so I didn't crash into trees or trip over roots. We came through the clearing, where their house came into view. Immediately, the smell of smoke hit me. And for a moment, I panicked.

"Fire!" I nearly shrieked.

Jeff placed his cool hand on my arm. "Relax, it's just a bonfire. My dad is making barbeque and he's burning some trash too. Matt wanted to make sure you came. It's something you need to see. Something southern."

"You can have a cookout with a bonfire anywhere," I reminded him. Was I missing something?

Jeff smiled again. Southern Charm. "Sure, you can. But when you're having a southern cookout, you're in for a treat, Tiny."

Once again, they were right. Barbequed foods tasted better on an open fire. Or maybe it was the fact that my mom burned anything on a grill and I hadn't had a charcoal hamburger in years. Either way, by the time the food was done and cooked, I was beginning to think I'd gained a good ten pounds.

Then again, Matt and Jeff had eaten enough to eat my weight. Matt came over as he polished off another hotdog, sitting in the lawn chair next to mine. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Smiling a little, I decided if he wouldn't tell me where we were going, I'd pry it out of him. "I would be if I knew where we were going."

"It's a surprise."

"I know," I answered, jutting my lip out. "But I just really want to know."

"Oh please," Matt howled. "Don't play that shit on me, Tiny." Oh well. Matt leaned forward and kissed my cheek, leaving the smell of barbeque behind. "Though, you're more than welcome to do the same thing when it's just the two of us and well, you know…"

"Ugh, I swear, sometimes Matt, you're such a man…" But even that didn't stop me from smiling.

-

The next morning, I was awoken once again by Matt at another unearthly hour. He nearly dragged me out of bed even though the sun was still not up. "Get dressed and bring food with you," he whispered into my ear. "Hurry though, okay?"

I watched as Matt left my room, leaving me to stare at the space he was once in. What did that mean? Why were we in such a rush that I didn't even get a chance to eat breakfast before we left? Still, I did as I was told and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, careful not to make much noise as I knew my mom was still sleeping. Then, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and made sure I looked like I was alive, even though my brain still slept in my head.

Matt was seated in my kitchen when I came inside, eyes anxious. He noticed that I was ready quickly and barely gave me enough time to butter a bagel as he pulled me out the door. "Wait!" I cried quietly, seeing the sky was lightening in the slightest and the space around us was becoming more light. "I didn't tell my mom."

"Shh, she knows. I already talked to her. Now come on."

"Why are we in such a rush?" I asked but Matt didn't answer. He pulled me toward his truck and nearly threw me inside. If I didn't love him so much, I would have clobbered him. "Why are there two duffel bags back there?"

Matt didn't answer for a moment. "We won't be back until the weekend is over. I brought clothes with me. Some for you, some for me."

"Does my mom know this?"

Matt nodded. "We have a long trip ahead of us. Won't don't you rest?"

Considering he had pulled out of bed before five, I was very quick to oblige. But first, I had to know where we were going. "Where are we headed?"

He yawned a little, resting his hand on my thigh as he began to drive down the cobbled road. "Up north." His fingers began to circle my skin in a way that made me sleepier and I didn't have the strength to ask him anymore questions, only nodded before drifting back into a deep sleep.

When I awoke, I was met with several words of profanity that were exiting Matt's mouth as well as many cars and honking horns. We seemed to be on elevated ground but I couldn't tell for sure as my body had slumped down in my sleep. Peering around as I rose, I noticed we were on some kind of bridge. Matt looked furious but he didn't notice I had awoken.

"Matt?" I asked gently, trying not to make him angrier. "Where are we?"

"The Whitestone Bridge in New York." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Well, we were going to be on the it but it seems that they're doing work. So now we have to backtrack and take the Throgs Neck Bridge. But since no one knew we're kind of stuck in this fucking traffic jam and no one here can drive."

I was about to tell him it wasn't them that couldn't drive, he was just not used to the way that the locals drove, which by people that were out of state thought were pretty crazy. And vice versa. Most locals in New York thought that the out-of-staters were horrible drivers. I knew this because I had once lived on Long Island for a few months and grew used to the way New Yorkers drove. Instead though, I only nodded. "How much longer do you think it'll be until we get to wherever the hell we're going?"

Matt attempted to smile at me as he noticed the slightly annoyed tone in my voice. "About four hours longer. We'll stop for dinner along the way, though. So maybe about five hours."

"What time is it?" The clock on Matt's truck hadn't worked in a long time, he told me weeks ago and by the sky, it was hard to tell. I was guessing late afternoon, but I wasn't sure.

"Three something." Matt sighed and cursed again as some guy cut him off. "Sorry about this. I didn't expect the bridge to be closed."

"It's okay," I told him honestly. "I still wish I knew where we were going."

He grinned fully this time. "Don't worry. You'll know soon."

I wished I knew right then but I knew that was impossible since Matt would never tell me. So I sat back in my seat and curled my legs up to my chest, watching all around me. Below us, I could hear the ocean ever-so slightly and smelled it strongly. Bridges happened to terrify me. There were horror stories about bridges collapsing and people dying. Something that made fear inside of me rise.

It was another two hours later when we were finally out of New York and in Connecticut. We'd eaten dinner at some small diner by the name of "Jennifer Anne Marie's place" where there was only one waitress (Jennifer Anne Marie) and a cook by the name of Bob, her husband. Needless to say, we'd rushed out of there after, even though the food was decent.

Now we were nearly in Massachusetts and I could feel the sleep being to lag on me. And if I was exhausted, Matt could only be worse. I wanted to tell him to pull over and let me drive, but I decided against it. Didn't want to hurt the guy's ego since it seemed I would.

"How much longer?" I decided to whine like a child, trying to get a peak of the directions Matt was looking at. But every time I did, he only made it so I couldn't see them. It was getting on my nerves. He would owe me by the time this was all over.

"About two hours. Go to sleep. I'll wake you when we get there." The stubborn part of me wanted to say no but the rational, exhausted Tiny won the fight. I was asleep within minutes.

It seemed I awoke in perfect timing though. The sky was coming to a dark close, the haze leaving a small amount of light for the people driving on the highway to see. But there wasn't any way for me to miss the huge sign that we passed. Welcome To New Hampshire: the Granite State.

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	14. Strong Enough to Break

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Heey! First off, thank you to the two people who reviewed the last chapter, but seriously? I at least 5x that in hits. You know I love to hear what you think, so review, please? (Or do I have to give the puppy dog eyes? :D) Second, for those who don't remember, or confused to why Tiny was shocked to see New Hampshire: NH is where she grew up, remember? Her originial home town. Third, this is a kind of short chapter, but it explains what Matt had in mind. Hope you enjoy!

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"Matt?" I asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I sat up and stared at the sign in front of me. My throat felt tight as I saw it. Even though we had moved plenty of times, I hadn't been back in New Hampshire since the accident. My nerves were shot. "Why are we in New Hampshire?"

He didn't hear me or maybe he did and chose not to answer me. I blinked and stared around me. I knew exactly where we were. Only about twenty miles from my hometown, the town I had spent my childhood, where I had grew up. Before I could even think correctly, I felt the memories come painfully back. I could see Gavin and me running through a sprinkler as a kid, my mother filming from behind us. My father was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and several curse words flew from his mouth as he burned another set. Mom had been the better cook when we were young.

The air escaped my lungs as more of it came back to me. It seemed the atmosphere was sucking everything I wanted in out and there was nothing I could do to control it. No matter how hard I squeezed my eyes closed, I saw their faces. God had opened a wound that hadn't healed quite well. I gasped, gripping my seat, tears becoming to pour down my face.

_"Destiny!" Gavin called. "Watch me!"_

_I giggled as I laid on the grass, my skirt constantly flying into the air. But I didn't care. I was a kid; I was carefree. My eyes filled with glee as he tumbled toward me, pulling through flips and tucks until he was next to me, our hyena-like laughter the only thing I could hear._

_"Gavin?" I asked quietly. "One day, let's become wrestlers… we'll make the dream together. We'll be the best."_

_"Okay," he said. "Let's promise. Promises can't be broken. That's what Mommy says." If only he knew how wrong he was. He stuck out his little finger and smiled_

_"I promise," we both said quietly._

"Tiny?" Matt's voice brought me back to the present. He had pulled over and was staring at me with great concern and terror. I knew my chest was heaving up and down. I couldn't even think. All I could feel was the immense pain in my chest and the agony every time I closed my eyes. "Are you okay?"

_No! I'm not okay,_ my brain yelled, but I couldn't even imagine talking. A sob answered his question and I found myself burying my face into his chest, clawing to hold onto him. He held me tightly and I could almost see his face from behind me. Those bushy eyebrows furrowed deeply together while his face was in a straight line.

"Tiny?" he whispered. "What happened?"

I sat up a second later, looking at him. "Why are we in New Hampshire?"

Matt looked away, a light pink blush coming onto his cheeks. He obviously knew something I didn't. His hand broke from mine and he put them back onto the steering wheel, starting the truck. Then, he pulled back off into traffic, acting like I hadn't just asked him a question. And just before I went to ask him again, he mumbled, "I didn't think it'd be this bad. I wouldn't have done this if it was going to cause you so much pain…"

"Matt, what are you talking about?"

We pulled up in front of a hotel I didn't expect to still be there. It was small, owned by an older woman by the name of Kei (pronounced as "Kay"), who had once lived in Hawaii. In fact, the place was called Hawaii Inn. As a kid, I had never stayed there, but I could remember passing it every time we went out of state.

"Matt?"

Luckily, the pain had subsided for a moment and I was able to focus on him as he turned to me. "I'm so sorry, Tiny. I think I've mad a major mistake by bringing you here."

"Why are we here?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Matt, what is going on?"

He stared back at me for a moment, looking into my eyes as if he was searching for something. Then, he pulled the car back into reverse, grabbing the directions and studying them. I almost thought he was going to drive us back home. I was so confused. Matt was making no sense and I was scared. Why were we here? Did he have a wrestling show?

"Matt?" I demanded. "Tell me what is going on."

He didn't get to answer because when I saw what we pulled up into, I nearly fainted from the shock. Before me was the cemetery that my father and brother were buried in, a place I hadn't seen since the funeral days and the time we moved out of state. The feeling it put into my chest I can't even put into true words. It felt like a sense of longing yet complete and utter terror. This was the closest I had been to my brother in years; the brother whom I was so close to. Guilt plagued me. What did he think? I had never visited him since we buried him… and my father? Was the pride he had for me and my sibling still in his eyes?

Emotion swarmed me; I broke down again in the car. Matt wrapped his arms around mine and held me, murmuring he was sorry. Still, I had no idea what was going on, but beneath my tears there was a sudden interest in what my mother and Matt had been talking about.

"This is," I choked, "This is where my father and brother are buried."

Matt brushed some hair out of my face, gently pressing his lips to mine. "I know," he whispered.

"You know?" I cried. "What is going on, Matt?"

He put his hands down and smiled sadly at me. "Tiny, I like you. You know that. But as much as you've grown over the past few weeks, you still have part of that wall up from when I met you. You need to do this. I talked to your mother about it and we both agreed going to see your brother and father's grave would be a good idea. You need closure, Tiny. I want you to have that closure. I recognize the pain you're going through. I spent nearly a year like that. I can't even imagine having to go through the amount of time you have."

"You brought me to New Hampshire to… to… see my … why?" I cried. I wanted to rebel and run from the car, all the way home. But sure was a long way. My stomach churned as I stared at the iron gates. How could he do this to me? I wasn't ready for this and I told him so.

Matt held me by the shoulders. "And the more you wait to do this, the more ready you won't be. Tiny, look at yourself. You need this. Please don't be angry with me."

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	15. This hits home

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Yooo, peeps! :D Hope everyone is having a good day. Not much to say this time around. THANK YOU for the reviews though. I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter and I really do thank you for reviewing. The reviews make me happy, lol. Hmm... is that it? I think so. Enjoy!

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"I can't do it." I looked at him as a wave of terror swept through my stomach. I wanted to be mad at Matt for bringing me to the one true place that could bring me down but I found he couldn't. Matt only wanted what was best for me. He wanted me to be happy; that was all he wanted.

"You _can_," he whispered. "I believe in you."

If only that was enough. The large gates in front of me reminded me of something evil. Inside of those gates were my brother and father. Not only was I terrified, I was guilty as well. I hadn't visited the graves once over the years. I couldn't even imagine what they thought of me anymore.

"Matt, please. Just take me home." I couldn't face this. There was no way.

"No, Tiny. We're not leaving until you do this." What made him boss? He pulled my seatbelt from my lap and stepped out of the car. I watched as he walked around the front and opened my door. My eyes were still petrified as he nearly dragged me from the car and toward the black bars in front of me.

"Please," I begged. "Don't do this."

"Do you hear yourself?" he whispered quietly. "This is your family. Trust me when I say it, you need to do this. Don't you understand that? Part of your life is in this place. I know. Jeff and I had to do this too. Our mother was a great woman and she deserved to know we were well. Your brother and father do too."

I swallowed the ball in the back of my throat as he latched his hand tighter over mine and pulled me inside of the gate. Then, he pulled me into his chest and held me with firm hands. I could hear his heart beating as I clung to him. This wasn't something I was used to. This girl wasn't me. The broken girl who I was never was shown to anyone anymore. How did Matt make her come into play again?

My heart hammered in my chest as Matt walked up the steps to a place which held all the grave names, scanning it for my last name as I stood frozen, looking outside at the stones and the flowers. It was a beautiful cemetery. The gardeners did a great job with the butterfly bushes and the daises. There were huge oak trees and a few willow trees as well.

"You ready?"

Did he really expect me to answer that? My lip quivered as his response and I buried my face into his chest as I began to cry. Fears of hate and utter disgust filled my heart. What did Gavin and my father think of me? And my mother? We never came to visit. I couldn't get that out of my head.

He led me toward a large willow tree with bright daises that surrounded it. Instantly, recognition graced my eyes. The daises weren't there last time, but the tree hadn't changed much. Just beyond it, the backside was where my brother and father were buried.

"Matt—" I broke off, looking to the ground. He was right, I had to do this. Terror still pulled me down and I felt like collapsing but I had to. There was no turning back.

We came up to the graves and my eyes scanned them. Gavin David Malibu and Ethan Jacob Malibu.

My legs gave out from under me and I tumbled to the ground while I stared at the stones. There was nothing in front of them unlike many of the other stones which had flowers and wreaths as well as other garden-like things. An aching like no other pulsed through me and instinctively I put my hands on my brother's grave, tracing his name with my trembling finger. I couldn't even feel anything but the intense pain as I did so but I knew I was near sobbing. Matt didn't interfere either. He stood behind me, his shadow casting over me as I held onto the grave with another shrill cry. My brother. The brother I spent so many of my days as a child playing with. The brother who always had my back no matter what. If anyone was mean to me, Gavin would be there to stop them.

And my father. The man whose smile never left his face except for when he was eating and even then, the happiness he had shined through him. As a kid, he loved the heels in wrestling. I never understood why he'd like the bad guys but now I did. He was a good person. It was so unfair.

Sniffling, I sat back and tried to keep my dignity somewhat in tact. I swallowed again and wiped the tears from my eyes and laughed shakily as I saw my shirt stained with wet spots from my eyes.

"Gavin…" I mumbled, reaching out again. I felt the coarse stone rip at my soft fingertips. This was as close to my brother as I had been in years. In that instant, I never wanted to let go. "Gavin," I repeated. "Daddy, this is Matt. He's my boyfriend."

Matt kneeled down beside of me at this. He gave me a small smile and brushed a few stray tears out of my eyes. The ache dulled a little as I looked at his proud face.

"He's a good boyfriend," I whispered at the stone. "He takes care of me. I'm crazy about him."

Matt pulled his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"You know what? He even takes me to wrestling shows. He's a wrestler, Gavin. Like you wanted to be. He reminds me of you. He has the shine…"

I wanted to tell him I loved him right then. To admit that I had been in love with him since we talked in his truck. I wanted to tell him that he was the most beautiful person I had ever met and I wanted to be with him forever. There was just something about him maybe. But I couldn't. The voice I wanted to use wouldn't come up. I sat there in his arms, staring at the graves instead.

There wasn't much else to do. Matt was right; I needed to do this. The more I sat there, the more the intense, utter agony I was feeling had dulled into a small pain in my chest, something I could manage. Part of me felt better too, like maybe they needed to know about Matt, if they didn't already. They needed to know that I was crazy about him.

"Are you ready to leave?" Matt whispered into my ear. We fit, we really did.

I nodded. "I think so."

Matt stood first and then he helped me up. Before I could even say anything, he met his lips with mine and kissed me tenderly yet aggressively on the lips. I answered with the same kind of kiss, feeling the tears well back into my eyes. We walked hand in hand toward the truck in silence. There was so much I wanted to say; so much that I couldn't put into words. I bit down hard on my lip and squeezed his hand a little tighter, hoping somehow that he'd understand any of what I was thinking.

I got a smile and returned it.

"So… I figure we could go for a late night dinner. I saw a Denny's just up the road."

"They have great food," I said absently as I climbed into his car and pulled my knees up to my chest. Matt only nodded and began to drive. My mind was screaming to say something; anything. "Hey, Matt?"

He looked at me briefly. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

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	16. Crazy Beautiful

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Everyone wanted me to update this on Twitter, and now I finally have! :D Yay. Hope everyone is doing good today. This chapter begins some drama... but more so toward the end. If you figure it out, awesome! I was trying to be cryptic about it so leave some confusion at the end, but you might be able to figure out what Matt does at the end. Okay? Yeah, I think thats it. Thank you to those who reviewed. PLEASE review. It keeps my inspiration going. :) Enjoy!

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The Denny's still had great food. The people were still polite and nice and nothing had truly changed since I left. It seemed odd though. Some say everything changes, but there I was in my hometown for the first time in ten years and everything seemed to be in the same place. It left both an uneasy and peaceful feeling inside of me. I wanted to believe once I left the restaurant I'd go back to my old house and Gavin and my father would be waiting with open arms. The rational part of me knew better though. They had been gone just as long and weren't coming back. Going to the cemetery had helped show me that as well. Matt was right: it had helped me.

He was watching me. I couldn't help but peek as I ate, seeing his careful expression like he wanted to say something, but didn't want to upset me. I also wanted to speak, to say the three words that I knew could either really make or really break our relationship.

Neither of us spoke for the majority of the meal. We walked on egg shells toward the car. I found it so strangely comforting where I was and what I was doing. If you would have told me I was going to meet a guy and fall in love with him, I may believe you. But if you told me the same thing and said he'd be able to change ten years of broken feelings, I'd laugh in your face.

But there I was, the feeling of almost being whole before me again. I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry… I wasn't sure _what_ to feel. There was a pure happiness brewing inside of me. For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged where I was and people really cared for me other than my mother. I had friends, I had a boyfriend. I even had a life, something I didn't have for almost ten years as well.

How could one person change all of this? The thought that came to mind was fate, destiny even. I hated that word with a passion. Destiny? Right. Sure. But what else could I call it? You can't pin 'free will' on something like this. There was no way my mother's actions or my own could really do this. Sure, my mother had picked the next place we'd move to, but she couldn't have expected this. No way.

Destiny. It was destiny. And it was the most bizarre thing in the world to me.

"You've been really quiet."

I looked at Matt as we drove toward the hotel. "So have you."

He smiled. "That's because you haven't said anything. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I'm really happy actually. Today… what you did… it helped. It really did. I don't know what to do. I've never felt this before. I feel… good. Without a care in the world."

There was a moment of silence that made me wonder if I was insane by the way he didn't reply. But then, a warm and pleased smile happened to come across his face: almost like a proud parent. "You have no idea how _great_ that makes _me_ feel, Tiny."

An idea happened to pop into my head and I glanced ahead of me. "A feeling like you want to kiss me, or…?"

"Are you suggesting that, Ms. Malibu?"

"If you're willing, Sir."

Another smile parted my lips and it was obvious a lusting feeling was coming into his car. He drove more quickly to the hotel, eyes ravenous at what I was truly suggesting. Matt and I hadn't done this in a while, not since the night I had first happened to lost my virginity. But the feelings were completely right and I couldn't think of a better time we could do so. Being home, we risked the appearance of parents, or Jeff walking in. At least here… well, we'd have some privacy.

That night was another blissful moment for me of the year. If I could relive a few months of my life, it would surely be those months with Matt. Life was the best it had ever been. And we all knew that. Everyone knew how happy I was. Even a long, almost day long car ride couldn't dampen my mood.

"So, do you think this weekend was a success?"

His teasing nature made me smile again. Matt always had a way to make me smile. "I'd say so."

"Good." He kissed me on the cheek as the highway slowed to a stop on the account of traffic. "I just want you happy. You deserve it, Tiny. I hope you know that."

"Before I wasn't sure if I did." I looked down at my hands, embarrassed to be admitting this. "But now I'm glad I am. It's a lot better than feeling sorry for myself."

There were so many perfect moments on that trip where I could have said those three words and it would have been another reason for me to cry later on. I wanted to… I wanted to so badly. I knew he loved me and I definitely knew I loved him. But I never said the words. Not when I should of, at least. The moments always passed on by, leaving me to awkward silences and staring at him without much to go on.

When we passed the North Carolina border, I was so excited to finally be home and to thank my mother for what she had done. I knew it had probably taken her a lot to say yes to something like that and there was so much gratitude in me.

But when we arrived back on our road, Matt stopped me. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"For what?" I wanted to laugh in his face. Could I have had a more perfect weekend? "Matt, I told you, this weekend was wonderful."

"It's not that," Matt whispered into my ear, kissing my collarbone, his fingers roaming parts of my body. "I did something I really shouldn't have."

His aggressive nature and the kisses were scaring me. Had Matt somehow missed the 'everything is okay' speech I had given him several times? Should I be worried? There had to be some reason he was acting like this. "Matt, please, I told you—"

"I'm so sorry, Tiny. Just don't be too angry with me, okay?"

Before I could question what he meant, I heard Jeff calling out our names from just beyond the truck. He appeared on Matt's side, fear in his eyes. "You are in some deep shit, Man," he said, his accent thick. "Dad and her are waiting up at the house."

"You didn't tell them, did you?"

Jeff backed up at Matt's almost yelled question. "No, shit! Man, I didn't; I swear. They figured it out though. When she told you no, her mom figured it out. I heard Dad and her talking about it last night. He's really mad, Man."

I couldn't follow whatever Jeff was telling Matt. I knew it had something to do with their dad and my mom, but I couldn't really place it. But whatever it was happened to be serious as Matt seemed terrified. He told Jeff to leave and then looked at me. "Look, I did something I shouldn't have done, Tiny. And it's going to reflect on our relationship. Just make sure when we finally see each other again that you know I had to do this for you. There wasn't any other way around it."

He got out of the truck and gently pulled me out of the other side, kissing me lips passionately as I tried to figure out what was happening. In a fear-covered voice, I asked, "What did you do?"

Matt looked at me with sadness. "I'm sorry, Tiny. Just know that. I'll make sure I get the punishment and not you, okay? Just tell your mom I'm sorry and that I did what I thought was best, okay? Go home now, take your things. I'll come see you as soon as I can." And before I could ask him anything more, Matt grabbed his duffel bag from the truck bed and took off toward his house, leaving me to stare at his retreating figure in the night.

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	17. You

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **This little shoutout goes toward someone battling a horrible monster named homework... you know who you are! ;) Haha, anyway, thank YOU for the reviews everyone. Keep them coming and I'll keep updating: thats how it works! Hehe. Not too much to say for this chapter; I'll let it speak for itself. Enjoy!

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I was still standing there five minutes later, holding my duffel bag in my arms, staring at a figure that was no longer there. Matt made absolutely no sense to me. What was he talking about? I couldn't figure out why we'd be in trouble. Thinking back, I made sure I hadn't done anything bad before I left. _Nope_, I thought in confusion. With a shake of my head, I made my way through the grass toward the house, getting attacked by plenty of mosquitoes along the way.

"What did we do?" I muttered to myself, slapping away a mosquito and pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Nothing still came to mind. A clean slate… _nothing_.

"Destiny Love Malibu!" I cringed at the sound of my full name. My mother knew my hatred of the name Destiny, which meant I was in a full bowl of trouble. The added bit of 'Love' was not helping matters either, I'm sure. My mom hardly ever referred to me anything other than 'D'.

Still, I continued up the steps, seeing her angered features from behind the screen door, hands placed firmly on her hips. She was in her pajamas, meaning she was all ready to go to bed. This wouldn't help me either. My mom liked to follow a sleeping pattern and kept to it.

"Hi Mom." I smiled at her in hopes of whatever I had done wrong would magically disappear. Maybe if she saw that I had no idea of what she was going to yell at me for, I'd get off the hook.

"Don't you '_hi mom_' me," she sneered, slamming the front door open with just one hand. It left a ricochet on the wall, a sound that could split wood the outcome. "Inside… _now_."

My mouth fell to the floor. While my mother did get upset with me on occasion, I had hardly _ever_ seen her that mad in my life. Whatever we did… it was bad. And by the looks of it, I would not see Matt for the rest of the summer. But Matt had said that he was going to take the blame of whatever happened. What had happened? I was obviously a part of it and I was not about to let him take the blame for it all. That wouldn't be fair.

"Inside," she spat again.

I didn't need to be told again. I scurried inside, feeling my mother just behind me as if her eyes were burning holes in my back. Part of me believed I should ask what I had done, but the other part of me knew better. Keep your mouth shut and wait until it's over. Then speak.

My mom took a seat at the kitchen table and with her eyes she beckoned me to sit beside of her. She wasn't speaking anymore, something I was trying to decipher as either a good or bad sign. Considering the fire was still in her eyes, I'd say bad sign. I obeyed and sat down, a little afraid to look up.

"Destiny, what were you thinking?"

_I don't know. If I knew what you were talking about, I might have an answer_. Not that I'd say that out loud. "Mom… what are you talking about?" I started my question gently, still very frightened to look up at her face.

"_What_ am I talking about?" she yelled, slamming her hands down on the table in anger. "Do not even tell me you could have forgotten this entire weekend, D!"

The word 'D' comforted me for a moment until it sunk in and what she was telling me finally hit me. The weekend. In voluntarily, I smiled over the memories I had sustained during that time. Matt was nothing less than amazing.

"Do you find this funny, D? You disappeared for an entire weekend!" She stopped and stared at me as I finally looked up. "No, you didn't disappear. Your _boyfriend_—" she said the word as if he was filth. "—took you after I told him _no_ and decided that my opinion doesn't matter. Do you understand the danger you put yourself in and the pain you could have caused?"

Truthfully, I didn't see how I was in danger. But that wasn't what caught my attention. "Matt said he asked you and you said yes," I said quietly, figuring out why Matt said we might not see each other for a while. He had lied to me. I didn't care about that really. I understood why. He had lied to me for my benefit and my mother didn't see that. She didn't see _why_ he did what he did.

"Mom, look. I know—"

"No, Destiny. You _don't_ know. I don't know what Matt _told_ you to get you to go with him, but this isn't acceptable. What he did was wrong!"

"Mom, I went—"

"He was completely irresponsible and brought you to a place that I knew you could not handle. That boy is very stubborn and obviously has listening problems. He thinks he knows you, D but he doesn't. I'm your mother and I do. What he did—"

I couldn't let her talk about Matt like that. I owed so much to Matt, so much she didn't even know. She had spoke about this change in me – seeing me with people, having friends, being happy for the first time in _years_ and yet she was sitting before me that Matt wasn't a beneficial factor in my life.

"Mom," I yelled, cutting her off. "I owe it to Matt that I made it through this weekend. I _never_ could have done it without him. Do you not see that? He did something for me that no other person had thought of. And if you think he doesn't know me, he does. He's spent every last second with me since the end of April and he knows me as well as anyone else knows me."

She stared back at me in shock. I hadn't yelled, I wasn't rude: I had placed my points respectively. Still, I don't think it went through her head at all. "Destiny," she said in a soft voice. "He's manipulated you, Honey. He brought you to that place to cause you pain. We have worked so hard over the years so you don't remember it. It's the past and that's where it should stay. What he did was very wrong – he opened a wound and poured salt on it."

"_No_," I spat. "He took a wound with salt on it and cleaned it so it would heal. Mom… Matt… he… I can't explain it. This weekend was amazing."

But she still wasn't listening. "Destiny… you just don't see it right now…"

"_No_, you don't see it! You are just like me. You hide behind your wall and wait for someone to break it down but you don't allow that anyway. Ever since Dad and Gavin died—" I thought her eyes would bulge out of her head at the mention of them. We hadn't mentioned them in years. "—you have tried to erase them from my memory. They should have never left my mind at all. That's not healing, Mom. Can't you see that?"

She stared. "Destiny, this isn't right… Matt did—"

"MATT DID SOMETHING THAT HELPED ME," I couldn't help but yell, losing my temper completely. Truthfully, I didn't understand it. My mother wasn't perfect, but she had always listened to me when she was upset. Now, it was like she had taken a wall and put it on front of me so she couldn't. For something I couldn't even understand: just days before, she had loved Matt. So he goes and does one thing and suddenly it's different.

I got up from my seat and ran toward the door, trying to stop the tears from falling down on cheeks. "Where are you going?" she cried out, getting up from her seat.

"Nowhere!" I screeched back and exited the door, running for the woods as fast as my legs would take me. "Just leave me alone!"

The woods were hard to see through in the dark, but I stumbled my way through them toward my destination. I was crying too, making finding my way even harder, but it was all nothing important as I climbed up the trampoline and thrust myself down on the elastic middle. I could have been crying loudly, or it could have been softly. But I didn't care. My mother and I got along but hearing her accuse Matt of things that weren't true hurt me badly. I was sick of hiding behind a door from my past. It was still there.

And I couldn't even go to Matt because I knew Gil was probably chewing his ear off too. There wasn't a doubt there: my mother had talked to his father for sure. We were screwed. When I went back home, she'd ground me forever and I wouldn't see Matt until he went off to college in about two months. It all seemed so unfair.

Suddenly, through my tears I heard a rustle in the woods. I peered up from behind my bleary eyes and stared around me. "Who's there?"

Another soft rustling. "Shh," a voice said. "Relax. It's Jeff."

I sighed in relief, glad I would not have to fight off an animal or something worse. "What are you doing out here?" I asked him in the dark as he climbed up. Taking one look at myself, shirt half up my stomach and my hair probably wild, I knew why. "Sorry…"

"It's okay," he whispered back, crawling toward me. "I don't mind."

"How's Matt?"

"In a lot of trouble. Your mom talked to my dad and told something of what seemed to be a biased account of whatever happened. At least, that's what I heard and from what I know, it didn't happen like that. She made it seem like he tied you up in the car and dragged you to New Hampshire."

I tried to smile. "I wasn't chained, no. It was my choice to get into the truck."

"Thought so."

Silence overcame us. "How much trouble do you think he is in?"

Before he could answer, another voice did so for him, "A lot."

"Matt!" I cried, jumping off the trampoline and into his arms. Rather than waiting for him to speak again, I pulled his head down and met him with a kiss so passionate, we both nearly buckled at the knees. "Oh, Matt." The tears were coming again. "What did you do?"

"I had to," he told me, picking me up and sitting me on the edge of the trampoline. "I did what I thought was best for you, Tiny. I thought—"

I kissed him again. "That's my thoughts on the subject," I told him with a small laugh.

He pressed his forehead to mine and laughed to, kissing my cheek. "You're amazing, Tiny." Those weren't the words I _wanted_ to hear from him, but I took them anyway. "I need to go now though. I'm a slave for the next month."

A pout formed on my lips. "Don't leave me, Matt."

"I have to." Matt pulled me down and pulled me into his arms for a bear hug. I began to sob knowing what would happen to us over the next month and clung to him. I'd be in even more trouble once I got home. "I'll visit, don't you worry. I'll come see you tomorrow even. Dad's going fishing and Jeff's supposed to watch me."

We both stared at him while Jeff grinned.

We untied ourselves from each other and stared into one another's eyes for a moment. "It won't be too long," he told me quietly, "I promise."

I should have said it then. I really should of but my tongue got stuck and I forced myself forward for one last kiss and then with a wave, I ran off toward my house, the tears still pouring.

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	18. Shock

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **So, this is short. Really short. Thanks for the reviews and uhm... don't kill me? Enjoy...? *runs*

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When I came back into my house, all the lights were off and there wasn't any noise coming from my mother's bedroom. I walked around the kitchen quietly for a moment, wondering if as soon as I left she would be back and start yelling again. But I stood in five minutes of silence, just the sounds of the crickets and frogs my company.

With a sigh, I walked into my room, buried my face into my pillow and cried.

I didn't sleep well that night. I had nightmares of many kinds, ranging from car accidents involving Matt, to seeing my brother come up to the front door of my Cameron house, covered in blood. Then, before I could help him, he'd collapse to the ground and just vanish before my eyes. There were several times when I woke up with sweat covering my body, sure it was real. But then all I would see was the North Carolina night sky and go back to tossing and turning.

Morning came around a few hours later and I grudgingly walked into the kitchen, waiting for the night before to continue, but my mother wasn't there. I looked in her room to find the bed made. With a strange feeling in my stomach, I walked back into the kitchen and saw the coffee pot was already two-thirds empty.

"Mom?" I asked tentatively, looking out the window to see if she was sitting outside. It was then I noticed her car was gone; I was alone. I took a seat at the kitchen table, taking a bagel and splitting it with my fingers. I ate quietly and numbly, knowing she'd soon be home and my punishment would begin soon enough.

Then, an idea hit me. I couldn't be punished if I wasn't there and since Matt's father wasn't home, I had another chance to go see Matt.

Quickly, I changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, running out of my house and towards Matt's. No one answered when I knocked. "Where are you?" I murmured.

Taking my heavy heart with me, I made my way to the pond and sat at the bank, letting the small waves run over my feet without much feeling to it. The summer ahead looked bleak. It would probably involve a lot of cleaning and my mother hovering over my shoulder, very little to none of Matt. While my mother and I did get along, she was brutal with punishments. Still, I couldn't understand what I had done wrong either. And the more I thought about the night before, the more the anger crept back into me.

Couldn't she see what she was doing to herself? No, of course not. At least not until Matt came around and took the blinders off my eyes and let me see what I needed. He gave me the strength to know that I wasn't going to break in two over something; that I was strong and could survive. To see what I was doing wasn't healthy… I didn't have closure.

But my mother was intent that what she had done was right. She was so very sure that blocking out every little aspect of Gavin and dad's existence would fix everything. I just hoped that when the wall was finally knocked down—whether it is voluntarily or not—she would be okay. I couldn't help her see. She was just much too stubborn.

Still, how could she say those things about the man I loved?

After a while, I decided wallowing on my pain at the pond wasn't going to do me any good. I'd have to go home and face the music, face my mother and take whatever she was going to give me. There was no way around it.

Except, I didn't expect what happened next.

I came up the steps slowly, seeing her car was back in the driveway and stared at the door for a moment. Finally, I opened it and stepped inside, seeing her seated at the table with her coffee, papers in her hand, a wide smile on her face.

Thrown back, I wondered if I was in the eye of the storm or something. "Hi, D."

"Hi Mom…"

"I have something to tell you."

_I'm sure you do,_ I thought miserably. "What?"

She gestured beside her and I sat obediently, trying to see whatever paper she was holding. I couldn't see it though. "It's a tad small for me, but I don't really mind. Your side will be fine though. It's going to be great."

I just looked at her. "Huh?"

She smiled and then turned over the paper. In her hands was an address in LA, a small photo of a condo in front. Then, in letters down in the bottom, was my mother's signature, right under the words "sold". "Welcome to our newest home, Tiny."

"What?" I gasped.

My mother beamed as if I was in love with the place. "We've moving to LA."

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	19. Starts With Goodbye

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **I'm so freakin' sorry for not updating this in so long. I really wanted to be able to put a lot of emotion into this chapter because it really is an emotional chapter to begin with. And with working and just trying to live at the same time... well, that's hard to do. And I guess, a thank you to ._Hopeless. Rockstar. _cuz apparently, I'm a lazy bum who never updates. So yeah. She can SHUT UP now. ;D And thank you for all the reviews as well. By now you should know I love reading them. Let me know what you think of this chapter... I want to know, yo! (Sorry... I'm hyper). Uhm... yeah, that's it. Again... don't kill me. Enjoy!

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I felt as if the air had been forced out of my lungs. My head began to spin, my throat got dry, and my chest hurt. Seconds later, my knees buckled, very unlike the reason they nearly did the night before. My mom's smile faded as I collapsed on the floor, tears welling in my eyes. I couldn't speak; I couldn't form a sentence. I couldn't even glare at my mother. It was like the news had cut off all contact with my brain, making me unable to respond in anyway possible.

Then it all came back and the tears flooded my clothes and everything around me. I flew up on my feet with a new power and got right into my mother's face. She backed up uneasily, looking at me as if I was a stranger. "D?" she questioned. "What's the matter?"

"_How could you?_" I screamed, taking the papers and throwing them in every direction. Around me, they scattered and fell to the floor, some crumbled. My mom watched them fall for a moment and then turned her attention back to me.

"Destiny…"

Her words sounded like venom to my ears. She didn't deserve the right to call my by my full name. That was reserved for my father, brother, and Matt if he ever felt the need to call me so. Someone who went behind my back and tried to ruin my life did not deserve that privilege.

"Don't you call me that!" I shrieked, taking off toward my room. Even though it truly hadn't sunk in yet, my subconscious knew what was going to happen and what my mother had done. I began to thrash around my drawers and closet, dragging out an old suitcase, stuffing clothes into it at a speed even I didn't know I was capable of.

Behind me, my mother watched with a strange sense of calmness on her older features. "Destiny, please."

"No!" I screamed. "Don't talk to me ever again. Just don't. I'm not leaving here. I love this place." I grabbed my jewelry box and threw it into the bag, hearing the things inside shake up. "I can't believe you'd do something like this to me!"

"_Destiny Love __Malibu__!"_

For some reason, as if my full name controlled me, I halted and turned. My mom's eyes were no longer calm, but shockingly red and angered. She pointed one finger near her feet and urged me forward.

I swallowed, knowing the fit I was throwing was soon to be over. "I'm not going," I tried to mumble pathetically.

She looked at me darkly as I inched closer. "I was going to allow you to say goodbye to Matthew," she told me in her trouble voice, eyes still alarmingly scary. "But this is unacceptable. You are nearly an adult, young lady. I expect you to act better than that. I'm sorry… but you will not be saying goodbye."

Was I really hearing this? I felt as if I was in some strange dream in another land? The person before me was _not_ my mother and this was _not_ my life. I would wake up with Matt next to me, kissing me despite my awful morning breath, then smiling warmly. How could it not be that? Where had I gone wrong?

"You can't… you can't do that."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I can and I will. Begin packing your things. We leave the day after tomorrow. And don't you _dare_ try sneaking out."

Sinking onto my bed, I felt my head whirl again, this time for a completely different reason. I was overwhelmed with what was going on, so unable to think clearly. Two days. I had two days before I would move across the country, against my own will. There wasn't anyway to change my mother's mind. Like me, she was very stubborn. And what Matt had done had hurt her ego, making her seem like the weak one which she couldn't have. So the first thing she went to do was make it so she was back on top, if only in her mind. She just didn't understand.

This lurid feeling in the pit of my stomach was not going away. This was becoming reality. She was trying to ruin all the good in my life.

On instinct, I stood up and placed my hand on the window, hoping somehow to connect myself to Matt. Then, with a shake of my head, I wondered why I was still in my bedroom. What was the worst thing she could do to me if I snuck out? Either way, she was taking me far away from him, right? If I snuck out and told him what had happened, at least I'd get to say goodbye. There was a tenebrous outlook on my life at that moment and I needed something to conflate my feelings and Matt could do that for me. He always had some way of making me feel radiant and exuberant.

Using this, I began to think of a plan. Sneaking out now would make it easy for my mom to catch me. I needed to go at a time when she wouldn't think I'd sneak out. Considering I was a decent kid, I decided on after dark when she was asleep and Matt would be watching wrestling on the TV. His father would be asleep as well and Jeff could let me in.

It was just a matter of waiting for the perfect time now. With a sigh, I began to pack, trying not to think about the future.

-

"Stop acting like this is the end of the world," my mother scolded me during dinner, rolling her eyes as I sulked over my mashed potatoes. I promptly ignored her and continued to poke at my food, making sure my expression was as sour as it could get. "Honestly, D. We've moved around for how many years now and this is the time you decide to throw a fit about it? All the other times you were aching to leave."

My floor fell to the floor with a mickle crash and I stared at her in shock. "Did you ever stop think that maybe I'm happy here for a change? Maybe that I don't want to leave this place because I've finally found people who care about me."

"Matthew doesn't care about you, D. He wouldn't have—"

"Do not even bring that up," I hissed crisply. Taking my plate, I stood up and tossed the remains of it in the garbage. I took pride in the shock on my mother's face and darted to the door. Forget my plan; I was leaving now.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"For a walk!" I announced. "Leave me alone, Mom."

The door slammed shut behind me and I stood there to see if she'd come after me, but much to my fortune, she did not. Using this, I hopped off the porch and ran toward the woods, stumbling over twigs and other earthy things. I didn't run towards Matt's though. Oddly enough, I ran toward the trampoline and threw all my weight upon it, smashing my fists like a child on the dark mesh part. For something that one time terrified me, I found strange comfort on it now. It was a reflection of Matt and all I knew he loved and therefore, I loved too. I couldn't help it. Wrestling still brought upon years of hurt, although dull, but now I could face it. I knew the makeshift ring wasn't going to open up and swallow me whole.

Why couldn't my mother see that?

"Tiny."

I sat up quickly, at first not recognizing the voice. Then, I turned to face Gil and frowned. Had he followed me?

"Hi, Gil. Look, I know I shouldn't—"

"You need to go home, Child."

"What?" He wouldn't even look me in the eye; his eyes were on the ground.

"You need to go home," he repeated dully. "Your Mama is waiting for you."

"I'm not going back there."

"Tiny—"

I swallowed. "Did she tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Shaking my head, I stood shakily off the metal rings and slide to the softer ground. "Nevermind. Goodnight, Gil."

-

_5:07a.m._

The red-light alarm clock blinked back at me, haunting me with it's time as I lied awake later that night, knowing I was leaving the next day, at nine o'clock sharp. So many things were going through my head, so much more than I could handle. I had come to a painful, but necessary idea in my head. Each time I thought about it, I wanted to cry yet somehow managed to hold it in.

_5:10a.m._

_Now or never, Tiny._

I sighed and sat up in my makeshift bed sheets, pulling them off and stepping onto the cool oak ground. I made my way over to the dresser near my door and picked up the white envelope, feeling it's light weight in my fingers. Slowly, I padded my way down the hallway, careful not to wake my mother up. Slipping on flip-flops, I continued my way towards Matt's house, holding the paper in my hands tightly. By the time I got there, my chest was heaving, although no tears had fallen as of yet.

Inside of the house Matt slept, unknowing of my future without him in it. My chest heaved once more and I dropped the paper onto the porch, watching as the air slowed it down and finally it hit the wooden porch with a soft thud. Staring at it for a moment, I felt one single tear fall.

"Tiny?"

Jeff opened up the door and came towards me, his eyes full of deep concern, but I managed to quickly shake my head. "No… N-no," I forced out and ran off into the night. By the time I got home, I was sobbing, in my room as the sun came up for another day.

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	20. Just A Bit of Pain

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Soooo, um. Well... don't hate me guys. I know you all must at this point. I wasn't going to write more to this, but quite a few of you have asked me to update this repeatedly and I don't want to leave anyone hanging for too long. So um, like I said. Don't hate me. :p And please, if you're reading this, is it really that hard to leave a review? I can see the hits I'm getting per chapter. I just want to know what you think. ... lol. Well, yeah. ... Enjoy? Enjoy!

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_Beep, beep, beep._ "Good morning, Miami. It's another beautiful spring day here. We're gearing up for temps in the mid-eighties today with the humidity pretty high up there. Try to stay indoors if you can. It's gonna be a hot one."

I slammed my hand down on the alarm to my right, hearing it skid across the wooden nightstand. I groaned… beautiful spring day? As far as I was concerned, it was just another day of schedule and order, working with third graders who happened to ask just a few more questions than I wanted. I enjoyed being a third grade teacher but sometimes, my students got on my nerves. Something told me today was going to be one of those days.

I dragged myself toward the shower, eyes still half-closed while I reached absently for my towels, dropping them on the counter across from the large bath. For an apartment, I had a decent-sized bathroom with a full bath. It took me the full shower to wake up and realize that keeping my eyes closed was not going to wish away the day.

Making my way to the kitchen, I hit the coffee pot with one hand and looked outside. _Another day in paradise._

"So, I overheard Robert talking to Katie yesterday. Apparently, Robert is getting a divorce from his wife and that's why he's missing the rest of the week. I mean, come on," Felicia Wean, one of my fellow third grade teachers said about an hour later in the teacher's lounge. She was speaking to the Special Education teacher, Mike Lows who was listening with big ears. They were the gossip team of the school and it didn't seem like a morning at Sunshine Elementary without one of them going off about what they heard the day before. "When I got divorced, I stuck up my upper lip and went to work. It's so unfair."

Mike nodded sympathetically. "I hear you, Fe. It's not fair."

"Hey, Love. What's going on?"

I peered up to see Mike leaning over the counter, a wide and slightly sly smile on his face. His arms reached near the end of the false wood to where he was wringing them together, waiting "patiently" for my answer. He wanted more gossip. I wasn't stupid. I'd worked here long enough to know who to speak to in the morning and those not to. In fact, Felicia and Mike were on the "as little conversation as possible" list. In seconds, they were able to make your life hell. Just with one little detail, the whole school faculty would know about your life.

"Good Morning, Mike. I'm fine." I offered him a shy smile and went back to my lesson planning. The best thing to do with them was something like my answer. Nothing to give away, move on.

But Mike didn't give up. He walked over to my table and sat down, grinning fully now. "You seem tired."

"I'm always tired," I answered simply. "Only in a perfect world would I never be tired."

Mike continued to look at me, without saying anything. He wasn't a bad looking guy but he had a snake-like quality to him. Just by looking at him, you knew better than trusting him. "You're always so negative," he said. "You never speak to anyone here. It's like you don't like your co-workers."

I considered telling him he was right, but that would have probably cost me my job. "I have work to do," I told him, standing up. "If you excuse me, I must finish that now."

As I walked away, I could almost imagine his face perfectly when he turned back around to look at Felicia. I shrugged it off though. Who cares that they thought of me as a stuck up snob? I wasn't here to please them. I was here to teacher third graders and prepare them for the fourth grade. Gossip and snakes were not of my job description.

Work dragged on endlessly. Two of the boys, Tommy and Henry got into a huge fight over crayons and wouldn't listen to a word I said. Half of my students didn't do their homework. And to top it all off, a little girl named Isabella got sick all over her desk. When I had predicted a bad day, I didn't imagine it to be that bad. For once, I was the student staring at the clock, begging for it to hit three o'clock.

"Remember, kids. You have to write sentences for your vocabulary tonight. I will be checking it, so please do it. If you don't, you will not be ready for the review session tomorrow." The clock was nearly at the three. "Okay, in groups of five, go pack up."

By the time everyone was ready to go, it was nearly three ten and by the time I was finally alone in my classroom, it was nearly three thirty. Quickly, I gathered the things I would need that night and jogged through the eerily empty halls, my mind severely on my bed.

"Love."

I turned to see Mike Lows standing near the library, staring at me. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a look of achievement on his face. "Hi, Mike. Have a good night."

"Love, wait."

I turned again, a bit of the irritation coming through on my face. "Yes?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

I pulled the books in my hands closer to my chest and shoved my glasses up my nose. "I'm going home."

"How about you go out with me instead." He grinned, coming closer. Mike had to be a jock in high school. He just bleed that sneaky confidence that most of them had. He believed he could get any girl he wanted just by batting his pretty little green eyes.

"No."

He laughed, grabbing onto my arms. "Loosen up, baby. You're so tense. Come on, you've turned me down four times this year already," he cooed, inching toward me. "I think it's time you said yes."

I jerked away, glaring at him. "And I think it's time you let go of me. I told you last week, Mike. I'm not interested. Please leave me alone."

"You certainly seem to like making me look stupid, Love."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He looked so pleased to be getting a reaction out if me, his head cocked to the side. It made me want to take my arm and whack it back upright. "What do you mean?"

He narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. The sneak was coming into view; I could see the anger staring to emerge. "You know exactly what I mean. Acting all cool this morning around Felicia while seconds before you were undressing me with your eyes."

I had enough of his derogatory terms. Shaking my head, I stalked off, walking toward the exit. "I don't know what fantasy world you're living in Mike, but I'm not interested in you. I never have been and I never will be."

He didn't answer, but I knew if I turned around he would be standing there with those beady little eyes, glaring at me. Mike wasn't someone I would ever like. He was ruthless and rude, uncaring and nasty. Something made me believe that that he would be the type to abuse his girlfriend. And that was not something I wanted. No matter how much he harassed me. I wasn't interested in dating. I hadn't been… since then.

-

"I wish you'd stop being so sullen about this, D." My mother looked at me through the mirror, staring at my crossed arms and quickly cross expression. She didn't know what I had gone through in the twelve hours since she went to sleep. After leaving Matt the note, I had come and sobbed into my pillow, angry with myself for doing something I believed necessary. She didn't understand the pain I was in.

When we had gone to leave, I could see Matt standing in the bushes, Jeff not to far beyond him. While Jeff looked upset, Matt looked absolutely heartbroken, worse than an unloved puppy. I couldn't even put his expression into words. I knew what was in that letter; I knew I had just broken Matt Hardy's heart.

"Leave me alone, Mom."

She snapped, "I will not take this attitude, D. You need to realize that he was not right for you. Grow up and get over it. Because we're not going back there. Whether you want to or not."

She didn't know though. When I wrote that note, I wouldn't be allowed back there. Once Matt had read it, I knew nothing would ever be the same. It held the future; it led to my demise. It would ultimately lead me to be the most miserable adult on the planet.

That one note.

It changed _everything_.

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	21. Packed Up Dreams

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews, guys. :) I hope this chapter makes you happy as it makes you sad. Happy because it's a MATT POV chapter, but sad because well... it's sad. I wrote this song listening to **Bon Jovi's "Always"** which is a really good song, but it only kind of fits the chapter. There MAY be another Matt POV soon, not sure yet. We'll have to see what Matt is up to until the present, of course. ;) :) Soo, well, enjoy!

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**Matt's POV – Special Chapter :)**

"Shit, man, wake up!" Someone was shaking me; it sounded like Jeff. I opened my eyes groggily, wondering what could be important enough to wake me before the sun was up in the summer. When my eyes finally opened, Jeff's eyes were frantic and worried and my attitude changed. "What happened? Who's hurt?"

He shook his head, pacing the room. "No one is hurt," Jeff muttered. "I was getting a glass of water when I heard someone crying outside. I walked to the door to see Tiny drop something off on the front steps, sobbing like the world was endin'. So I went to say something and she just told me no! And took off. She left this."

A white envelope was in his right hand. I took it from him, staring at her bubbly hand writing that wrote my name, in small, thickly printed black ink. With a frown, I opened it and found a folded piece of loose-leaf paper, torn from some old notebook. Carefully, I unfolded the paper and stared at it for a moment. It was very unlike herself, scribbled and blotched in several parts as if she were crying.

"What's it say?"

I pushed Jeff away and took a deep breath.

_Dear Matt,_

_I know you meant the best, but this was never going to work. I should have never believed that something would change here. Everything is temporary… I should have never believed otherwise. It was only a matter of time before my mother whisked me away. I don't deserve to be happy, I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anything. _

_I can't believe this is happening to me, but I think this is what I get. I should have known the moment I moved on from the past, it would find a way to haunt me. Don't blame yourself for that, I'm glad you tried. It's just so unfair. Why does pain have to surround my life? I just don't understand… _

_Live your dream, Matt. Take it by the reins and push yourself forward. You have that look, take it and run with it. You'll make it to the top and one day I'll see you on national television and say, 'at one time, he was mine.' I'll never forget your touch, I'll never forget the way it felt when I was with you and you held me tightly. When you were showing me something new, a temporary bliss. It was the best few months of my life and something I want to keep with me forever. But my luck it'll be wiped from me forever. I never deserved you anyway, so I guess that's okay… _

_I'm sorry, Matt. I know I'm not making much sense, but I can't. I will not let myself fall and hurt again. I won't be back and I need to protect my heart. I can't let myself deal with another pain. Another pain might just be too much, you know? Please, don't come after me… I need it to be this way. It's for the best. I'm sorry. I lo…_

_Destiny_

My hands were shaking. I wasn't sure what I was reading or the reason it was written. Something told me if I didn't move soon, I'd never see the girl of my dreams again. I dropped the letter onto the floor and forced myself past Jeff. It wasn't even six yet, but it was nearly that. The sun was just coming up, casting orange shadows on the ground while I ran through the woods that connected my house to Tiny's.

When I got there, I saw a loaded car and two people sitting inside of it. I ran the remaining distance, but the car pulled away seconds before I got there and spit up rocks and dust into my face, but it felt like venom. "Tiny!" I yelled, starting to run after the car. "Tiny, wait!"

I couldn't see her and I couldn't feel myself think. There was no way she was leaving like this. How could she just pick up and leave after the months we spent together? I gave her everything; I'd do anything for her. I gave her my all; I gave her my body. I had never done that before. Sure, I had other girlfriends but I never felt as sure that I wanted my first time to be with a certain girl. The second I saw her, I knew she was special. Damaged certainly, but isn't everyone?

Everyone has their issues. All she needed was a little mending. She wasn't a toy that was broken; she was just another hurting human being that needed a little love. I could do that; I was sure. But it wasn't supposed to end like this. The movies were lies then. Where was my stupid sunset and the crappy overly romantic music? All I had around me were trees and my dad's crappy hick music. Not so romantic.

"Matt?" Jeff came up beside me. He took one look at the house I had been in so many times, staring at it.

"She's gone," I muttered.

"What?"

I stared at the road, waiting for the car to return. "She's… gone. She left. She picked up her stuff and left."

"What do you mean?"

I really didn't mean to, but I turned and slapped him. "Are you stupid?" I yelled. "SHE LEFT."

He continued to stare at me as I walked away and ran back toward the house. When I got back inside, I picked up the letter and went to tear it into pieces until I looked at the scribbled out last saying. As I got closer, I saw the _I lo… _was supposed to be I love you.

She didn't love me.

The words had been a mistake so she erased them.

She didn't love me.

She probably didn't even like me.

I was just a toy. A stupid little toy.

Yelling, I took my baseball bat and threw it through the glass window, hearing it shatter everywhere. Sinking to the floor, I sat there and stared at her handwriting, utterly confused. She didn't love me. She didn't… love me.

I loved her.

I knew I did. I knew I loved her the second she had entered me. Call it a bit pig-headed but it wasn't the sex. It was the way she touched my body, the way she held me tightly while it happened. It was the way she looked me in the eyes. The complete look of inexperienced innocence and the beauty that came with the first time.

I should have said it, even if it didn't make a difference.

I drove her away.

I turned away a girl who loved me.

"What are you doing?" Jeff cried as he came into the room, seeing the broken window. He kneeled down next to me where a small pool of blood was coming from my arm. Apparently, some of the glass had reached that. Shaking his head, he pulled me to my feet. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

The thought hadn't crossed my mind, but apparently, it looked like it had. "I…"

"Matt," Jeff said sadly. "You… you can't do that."

"I… she left me, Jeffro… she left me."

Jeff hugged me. "It's alright, Dude. There are more fish in the sea."

Tiny wasn't a fish. She was a beautiful, adorable, sweet, and fun girl. She was not a fish. I stared down at the letter. "She didn't even sign it Tiny. It was formal."

"Matt—"

"She's gone, Jeff. She's not coming back," I realized. "She's really gone."

_You see, I've always been a fighter, but without you, I give up…_

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	22. Faded

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Angst, pain, and just plain "no" kind of discribes this chapter. After this chapter, things will pick up a bit. I just really wanted to make a point and show the pain they went through during this. And before anyone asks at the end, the probable answer to your question is: Tiny is stupid. Problem solved! Anyway, thank you for the reviews and please, please, please ENJOY!

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**Tiny's POV**

She slammed the car hood down with what seemed to have an everlasting echo. I watched and hoped that Matt would come running to save me, take me back and away from the hollowness that my life felt like right then. That stupid note. Why did I write it? I swallowed the ball in my throat and remembered it was for the best.

"We're leaving," my mom said as she got into the car and stuck the key into the ignition, speeding away quickly. I crossed my legs and pushed my face into the warm sweatshirt I was wearing despite the intense heat.

_"Tiny, that sparkle in his eyes? Ever since he's met you it's shined ten times brighter."_

I ruined everything.

_"I just want you happy. You deserve it, Tiny. I hope you know that."_

I didn't. I am a horrible person.

_"You can," he whispered. "I believe in you."_

I don't know what to believe anymore.

-

**Matt's POV**

Weeks passed on endlessly. Once my father realized that the Malibu's had picked up and left, he got really quiet himself and asked me what happened. I didn't talk about her. I didn't even mention her name; it was a sacred thing my lips didn't speak because without her, it didn't seem necessary. Jeff was the best a brother could be. He kept my father out of my face and let me be. I went down to the pond a lot. I found torn up and wet papers that she wrote stories on, writing blotched and unreadable. I kept the note too. It was my last piece of her, the only thing I had to remember her by.

I expected her to call. I expected it all to be a joke and then she'd come back and everything would be okay.

I couldn't focus without her. On several occasions, I'd wrestle and nearly kill whoever we were facing. We stopped getting requests for matches for a while. Jeff didn't seem to mind though. I just didn't care. As August faded into the colder nights, I knew she wasn't coming back. I knew there would never be a phone call. I'd never get her back. That smile was gone. My life was gone.

School was horrible. My nearly perfect high school average went down to barely about a 2.0 GPA and the college threatened me several times to shape up. What did they know? Did they not understand the pain I was in? The girl that I really thought I was going to marry picked up and left me without a word from her mouth. I got a crummy note. A note that said she didn't love me.

Did she ever feel anything for me?

I couldn't hate her though. I wanted to so badly. But every time I wanted to think a bad word, that innocent laugh and look of hers, the way she clung to me when she was afraid, the way she looked after finally facing her fears. On top of the world. Amazing. Strong. The woman I loved.

I should have said something.

Those three words are said too much but not enough, right?

God, what did I do?

Let me hate her. Let me think she's a cruel bitch who left me with nothing.

I just couldn't. You couldn't hate a girl like her. By hating her, you let her think she was the pathetic little girl in her head. She was so much more than that, so much more than she saw.

In time, I realized that's what she wanted me to do. Hate her. She hoped that letter would destroy any loving feelings I left for her. I must have been broken because it never worked. She was still the girl on my mind as I debuted in the WWE and began to become a household name. For a while I would see her in the crowds and search for her endlessly night after night while Jeff spent time with the boys. They didn't get it. I was pathetically in love with a girl who wanted me to hate her and never see her again.

To make it easier on both of us without even knowing it.

Then, I met someone who changed my life. Amy Dumas. She was everything I wanted, I soon realized. Everything that a guy could want. Fun and beautiful, caring and strong. I moved on quickly, not ever looking back. I fell in love with the extreme girl from Georgia and soon enough, I thought I was going to marry her. I had set up wedding plans in my head but… what happened?

She cheated on me. She left me for a friend I once considered close. Everything: gone.

How could she?

Two girls who I thought loved me left me alone with nothing.

I felt lower than low. My mind went back to that place when Tiny left me and this time, I did hate Amy. I hated everything she had done to me. Didn't she know that someone had done that to me in the past? Picked up and left me with nothing? What kind of cruel world was this?

I hated everything. I brought whores into my hotel room night after night, mindlessly having sex with every one of them. I called up old girlfriends just for sex. I drank as much as I could and made myself look like the biggest asshole the world had ever seen.

They didn't get it. They didn't understand the pain. They would never understand what I had been through and all the dreams I once had for myself and then have to watch them all fall down twice right before my eyes. People just never understood.

**Tiny's POV**

I walked into my downtown apartment building with my arms full of groceries. The day was over and it was another night to spend at home reading and doing lesson plans only to start this boring day over tomorrow. After setting down the bags, I walked to my room and stripped into my pajamas, staring at my body with a sigh. I felt so pathetic. There I was, over thirty and single for no reason. Plenty of guys asked me out. I always said no.

It seemed so wrong.

I was like a body slave to the past: my body belonged to him and only him.

God, how long had it been? Sixteen years.

Shaking my head, I pulled a blanket over my shoulders and patted my way into the living room and turned the TV on as I prepared a TV dinner for myself. The news reported went quickly through my ears as I put it in the microwave and leaned against the wall, slowly but surely reliving the pain once more.

I saw him everywhere. His face, his voice, his smile, his… everything.

But it was never him.

It was always another face in the crowd. Another brunette, another smirk of a smile, another deeply toned Southern twang… never Matt.

For sixteen years.

I went to a WWE show soon after they won the first tag belts in the town I was living in then. I sat third row and watched him wrestle a man I did not know the name of, Jeff in the corner. It was the oddest thing to be right there… so close, yet so far away. I could just scream out his name and everything would change, everything would go back to the way it was. But I found I couldn't open my mouth. I found I couldn't scream his name. I sat there and stared, tears brimming in my eyes. But I never said a word.

_Destiny?_

No.

My life was far from destiny. The only thing I was destined for was pain.

The microwave beeped and brought me back to the present. Shaking my head, I grabbed my plate and sat down on my couch, staring blindly at the TV. I flipped it around several stations, finally landing on a crime show. He'd been on my mind a lot lately.

I wasn't sure why. At times, it was easy to forget and put on a fake happy smile.

And then there were times when he swallowed me until I couldn't breath and all I could hear was that honey-sweet voice serenading me back in the summer of 92'.

Always so close and always so far away.

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	23. Life As It Is

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. I do own the OC in this, though.

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys so much for the reviews to the last chapter! They make me smile. In this chapter, things will begin to pick up. You'll meet a new character. She's not that important... but someone she's related to is. And you know this person... annnnd, you find out about something that I have not mentioned at all, which you'll find out... obviously now. Lol. ... yep, that's it, I think. Enjoy!

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Somehow, I ended up falling asleep on the couch, covered by blankets and enough memories to drown a girl. I awoke with the feeling of dried tears on my cheeks and a heavy feeling in my head. I stood shakily and looked out at sunny downtown Miami. How did I end up in such a beautiful, happy place? People were walking dogs and teenagers were walking together, huge smiles on their faces as they talked with friends. I didn't have friends.

After we moved to Los Angeles, I became that old girl again. I faded in the background of my senior year and graduated while my classmates asked, 'Who is that girl in the yearbook? I don't remember her being here.' The same old thing once more; I didn't mind. The only way I would have been happy was with him. But he hated me. He had to.

Time went on. My mother took a job in Washington (the state, not DC) and I went off to college down in Texas, determined to get as far away as possible from everything I could. I studied elementary teaching and got the degree I needed to start at a small school in Miami. I've been in Florida ever since.

The weather is nice in Florida. It rains but that only lasts for minutes and then the sun is back out shining. Summer is a bit of a drag because of the humidity, but the winter is wonderful temperature wise.

I work and I come home. That's the way it's been for four years now. People try to get me to come out and spend time with them, but I don't. If only they knew right then what kind of mess they were getting themselves into. Soon enough, the people they laughed with and spent hours drinking with would be gone. They'd pick up and leave them there, unable to understand what had gone wrong. Someone would hurt them and time would freeze. Life would become a daily routine of work and sleep, eat, and breathe. Those were the four things that would define them: work, sleep, eat, and breathe.

If you consider barely able to hold on and suck another breath in, breathing, of course.

I never moved on. I knew that much. They say time heals everything, but I never found that quote true. I caused myself pain. I sat in front of that TV each week and stared at him. I read every blog he wrote online, I was worse than his most obsessive fan. Each time I saw him on the TV, each time I heard about him on the internet, each time I'd see a student wearing a WWE t-shirt, I'd think of him. Someone would say that loved Jeff Hardy – I'd remember the times we had spent on the pond talking about life.

But that wasn't what got me. It really wasn't seeing things that made my heart hurt and my head spin. It was Matt. Matt went on but… it was different. He went on, but I saw the past in him. I saw the words he had inflicted on me: Live for the Moment. I Will Not Die. Unlock Your Destiny. He had truly meant every one of the words he said when we were young…

Unlock Your Destiny.

I hated that stupid word. Now it felt like a mocking thing to me: I was the divergent of my own name.

I Will Not Die.

He was strong; he always had been. Me on the other hand… I wasn't strong. I was weak.

Live For The Moment.

Didn't even need an explanation.

-

The next morning, I plowed through another day of work until lunch break where I collapsed in my desk, exhausted. I was only down for a minute when one of the secretaries came into my room and dropped a handful of papers on my desk. She didn't even look at me as she did this. She simply threw them in my direction and continued on her way. I guess I deserved that.

**NEW STUDENT – Hailey Copeland**

The name sounded familiar for some odd reason. I shook my head and looked at the records of my newest third grader. She was a transfer from another town in Florida. Not only did she have excellent grades, she was also a pretty little thing with dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes. The paper said she would begin school tomorrow.

"Hopefully she behaves decently," I muttered as I closed her file and stuck it in with the others.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Much to my surprise, the kids behaved well and I was able to come home without a headache for once. I sank onto the couch and realized that it was Thursday. There was not anything I could watch on TV where I could see Matt and pretend that seeing him didn't break my stupid, little heart all over again.

I went to sleep early that night.

I got to school early the next day, remembering that I was supposed to meet my newest student and her mother before class began for that day. When I arrived at my classroom, she was already there and the still oddly familiar little girl was looking at me expectedly.

"Hello," I greeted them with a smile. "I'm Miss. Malibu. You must be Mrs. Copeland."

"Miss. Scarf, actually," the mother said with a smile. "However, this is Hailey Copeland. Say hi, Sweetie."

The little girl waved and beamed up at me. "Hello."

"You'll like this school," I began as I ushered them into my classroom. "It has a lot to offer for our students…"

A little later on, Hailey and I were alone and were waiting for the arrival of the other third graders. She was seated in the back of the classroom, toying with her hair. She looked at me every now and again, eyes curious.

I decided to strike up a conversation. "So, Hailey. Why did you transfer here?"

She smiled. "My Daddy is a famous wrestler," she announced proudly. "The people in my old school didn't like me because of that. They thought that I was special and called me names. Mommy said I didn't need to be in that kind of environment."

Only in seconds, everything fell into place. The name, the reason she looked so familiar. Unless there was another famous Copeland wrestling family, the eight-year-old girl before me was Adam Copeland's daughter. The Adam Copeland that knew the man of my past and had once been friends with him.

"Are you okay, Miss. Malibu?" Hailey asked. "You look scary."

"I'm fine," I murmured. "Just… surprised."

-

I came home in a daze. The day had blurred on by and nothing made much sense to me. For whatever reason, I could not get that little girl's face out of my head. It was like the past had decided to spit everything back at me and torture me slowly. Although it did not mean Matt would know where I was, it was still a little unnerving to know that I was teaching one of his ex-friend's daughters.

It was Friday; Smackdown. I took my seat on the couch and flicked on the TV just in time to see Matt vs. CM Punk that week. Immediately, my heart swelled and I couldn't help but stare. He was always there right in my face and so close that I could taste it. The match ended minutes later and Matt left the ring, raising his hands up to display the V1 sign. I sat there, staring like I always did, wishing that I was right there next to him, cheering him on.

Slowly, as I blinked back tears, the night when we first arrived in Los Angles came back into my mind…

_I was sobbing. Hysterically and loudly; I was throwing things. My mother had gone out for some groceries and dinner, so I was alone. I hated my room and I hated the bathroom that was my very own. It was all so very nice and perfect. So city-like and brand new, you could still smell the fresh paint. There were pretty decals on parts of my walls with gems that my mother had put in especially for me – perhaps to ease the pain of moving across country. I hated it all. It was happy; I was not._

_I flailed to the floor and externally and internally collapsed. What had I done? I didn't have to end it that way._

_Quickly, I sat up and stared around my room and all the boxes that now littered it. I grabbed the nearest box and tore it open, finding the nearest piece of blank paper and a pen. Then, through my tears and my trembling body – mostly my fingers – I wrote down the words that had begun the end of it all._

_Dear Matt,_

_I stopped._

_Now what?_

_I erased his name and the dear. The paper taunted me with its blank appearance. Write something already._

_Finally, I took a deep breath and stared at the paper, wrote down Dear Matt, again and wrote down what the first letter should have said. Then, I signed it Tiny and folded it into a three section piece and pulled out an envelope. I wrote in big letters Matt's name._

_It fell to the floor with a soft smack. I stared down at it and wondered what I had just done. I couldn't send that letter. I could never send that letter._

"The letter!" I wondered out loud in the apartment. "The letter…"

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	24. Memories

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note: **Could it be? Am I really updating this? I am! I know a lot of you have missed this story, and it's taken me forever to update it... I know. I just didn't know where to go next with it and it took me a while to do so. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far an I hope you are all still here because I hope to finish this in the next few weeks. But for now, another chapter. Enjoy!

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I spent the next few hours looking for that letter. It had been so long since I had even remembered that night, let alone writing the letter that should have been given to Matt. As a person who never threw anything out, I knew it was still somewhere in my apartment. Somewhere hidden with all the rest of my childhood, the childhood that I tried for forget every day, and yet my mind was still plagued with it and the memories of being a teenager. Had it really been over ten years since I had last seen his face?

My mind ached as I closed my eyes, remembering the North Carolina air and the summer breeze as it made us closer. The way he'd hold me, pull me closer as he tried to kiss me and then make that kiss deeper.

_I was writing a story on the pond. Matt and Jeff were swimming in the water, splashing and letting their feelings be known to the world. A curse here, a shoving there… but they were having fun. The way they fought… it was never negative to me. It was two brothers growing up together, loving one another in the only way boys could._

"_Tiny, watch this!" Jeff yelled over the splashing water._

_I looked up from my notebook and watched as Jeff jumped like a fish into the air, flipped and splashed down again. He laughed as Matt made a face and tackled him. I rolled my eyes. Their father was right… boys would be boys._

_I continued to write a chapter in a story that I started the day before. I had no idea where it was going, but that was the beauty of it. There was an ending out there somewhere that I would find in time. I didn't need to have an ending yet… maybe it didn't even need one._

"_Hey, Tiny," that familiar voice said. Matt sat before me, dripping wet, sand covering his knees while he tried to kiss me. I pushed him away, still in my clothes. I wasn't in the mood to go swimming that day and he knew that much. He laughed as I fought him though; tossing my notebook to safety before those words I wrote were destroyed forever._

"_Matt!" I laughed. "Stop!"_

"_I want a kiss," he grinned, pushing me down on the sand. His eyes were full of mischief, one I couldn't help but want to condone. "Come on, Tiny…"_

_I laughed, pushing my finger on the tip of his nose. "I told you I wanted to stay dry today…"_

"_You always say that." He sat up, pouting like a child. From behind him in the water, Jeff watched with interest. "I want you to have fun too."_

_I motioned to my notebook in the grass. "That is my idea of fun."_

"_Hey, Jeff!" Matt called. "We need to show Tiny a new way to have fun! You know what I mean?"_

_Jeff's eyes lit up. He laughed as he came from the water and grabbed my ankles, pulling off my flip flops quickly. Matt grabbed me by the arms and they picked me up off the sand, dragging me in my shorts and tank top. I was laughing and protesting, but neither seemed to care. They were ready to teach me to have "fun". They threw me into the water, and I went under, opening my eyes to the underwater nature. In the distance, I could see the muddy outline of fish wondering who were disrupting their habitat._

_When I came back up from the water, I saw them watching me with careful expressions. My face became flat as I chased after them, determined to get them back. They began to swim deeper, their laughs louder._

"_You two are in so much trouble!" I yelled playfully, tackling Matt first. I latched myself around his waist, digging my fingers into his back. He made a face for a second, then understood my form of punishment. Jeff rolled his eyes and swam away. I leaned forward and started the kiss, feeling the water make our lips slip. He laughed as I stuck my hand on his butt, squeezing it. He slipped from the feeling and went head first into the water, trying to pull me down with him._

_But I was after and he went down alone while Jeff cracked up. I had seduced him into punishment and he hadn't even realized. We spent the entire afternoon doing that, laughing and realizing how fun summer could be without any money spent. I was soaked and tired by the time I headed home that night, but it was one of the most fun days I had in a long time._

_That night, Matt and I snuck out to go lay on the trampoline, one of our favorite places. The stars were high in the sky, showing their color and making our moods even greater. I was the one to start the kiss this time, and our feelings quickly grew. That night we didn't go all the way, but things got very touchy and heated. His shirt had come off and my bra had come undone… but it was never negatively. It was always perfect, always careful. That was how I knew Matt. He knew me so well so easily and knew when not to push any buttons. Our relationship was so perfect…_

The memories I had of that summer came back so easily, as if they had happened only days before. I could still feel his lips on mine and I could remember how cool and refreshing the water was on my hot skin. I could still remember also how refreshing it was to drink the lemonade my mother made each day, fueling our crazy adventures and fun.

I did forgive my mother eventually for what she did. She was scared of what the past held, something I knew very much of to this day. We were so very alike in that way and we both understand how painful it was to hold in that past. We spoke almost every day, reciting how our days had gone.

She was retired now, living alone in Texas still. She'd moved several times in the past ten years, sometimes closer to me, sometimes farther. We always found the time to meet at the holidays though. Around those times, she'd tell stories about her childhood, a time I understood was the only time she spoke about my father. It was probably her way of coping after all those years, and I soon found the holidays to be the days I was allowed to remember Matt without tears. I think she understood this.

About an hour later, I found the box that I had labeled "summer of 1992" and opened it. Much to my surprise, the letter was on the top, a thin layer of dusk covering it. I picked it up and the feelings from when I wrote it were still there. I wanted to open the envelope and read those words, hoping somehow he'd hear them and everything would go back to when I was a teenager, young and inexperienced in the world.

But that would suggest having to open up the wounds of that time fully. And I wasn't sure if I could do that. Most of all though, I wasn't sure if Matt even remembered me anymore. I wasn't sure if he even remembered that summer and all the times we spent. All the memories I just couldn't let go. And that was what scared me the most… losing Matt long after I had let him go. At least, with what I had, he was still there in my memory. But if he had forgotten, I wasn't sure what I'd do.

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	25. That Place

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note: **Wow, and I'm updating again today. Thanks for the reviews and I am sorry yet again for the wait of this story. I promise I'll have it finished in the next few weeks. I hope the last chapter made you guys smile because I know this one is another one of those good chapters I really like. Enjoy!

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When I was home, time seemed to slow by. Work wasn't any better, but the dull days kept me busy. I poured my heart into my job, making sure each child I taught received the best education they could get. I made sure each student understood the work they were given, and spent time with those who were not fully there yet. And as for the children who gave me trouble, on the days I didn't label "bad", they were nothing but little problems easily resolved.

My students were part of the reason I was still sane. It was stupid, but pain still ached my body when there was a reminder of him, whether it was on the TV, or on the internet. I liked to put myself through pain, though. It was the images of him that kept me holding on at the same time.

The next day, I came into school and avoided Mike Lows and all the other teachers. I went directly to my classroom and took a seat at my desk, unloading the books and looking at the clock. I had about an hour before my students would bring to arrive in the school. It was enough time to prepare some more work and get ahead on grading.

"Hello?"

I didn't look up at the voice. "One second." I wrote down a few more things, and motioned for whoever was at my door. "I'll be with you in just a second. Take a seat."

"Thanks."

There was a familiar tone to the voice, but I couldn't place it. Quickly, I folded the paper I was writing on and set it in my bag. Then, I took a deep breath and looked up. In the seconds after, I felt my heart nearly jump into my chest and my breathing catch.

"You must recognize me," the person chuckled.

I tried not to nod. "Hi."

The person smiled. "Hello."

"What can I help you with?"

The person smoothed a hand over their blond hair. "Actually, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, if that's okay."

"Sure. Is Hailey here yet?"

Adam Copeland shook his head. "No. Her mother brings her. However, I wanted to make sure she fits in here. I'm sure you know by now that I work in a company that gives me a good amount of exposure and for some children, this becomes a problem. Whether it's jealousy, or something else, children tend to bother Hailey. My daughter doesn't reflect the career path I chose, and that's one of the reasons she's in public school. I believe she should live a normal life. So, I just wanted to ask if anyone begins to bother her you contact me immediately. She's a good kid and I can't stand to see her upset."

I nodded my head, still unable to believe Adam Copeland was sitting only a few feet away from me, discussing something as simple as his daughter with me. It was so funny to know the man that had once been close with Matt was now talking to me. Did he ever mention me to Adam? Was I that girl no one had ever met yet everyone hated? Or did he never mention me at all and I was just a distant memory, fading more and more each day?

"I'll be sure to contact you if anything like that happens. I can assure you though… she won't have a problem. From what I can tell, she's a very smart little girl and she has already made some friends here."

Adam smiled, giving me a look that reminded me of his wrestling character. "Thank you."

"Is that all you needed today, Mr. Copeland?"

He stood up as I did, and I found myself staring up at a tall man. I had forgotten how much taller most wrestlers were. "That's all. Thank you, Miss. Malibu. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

"Not a problem. If you want, I can leave you the number that you can contact me by if you find any problems come about that you'd like me notified of."

Relief came onto his face. "That would be wonderful. Maybe I should leave you a number to reach me by too. I travel a lot," he explained, "but I do have a cell and I would like to be updated on my daughter's progress. While her mother and I are still friends, it's hard trying to keep up with one another."

"I understand."

We walked to the door together, and once more, I got a feeling of pain in my chest. There I was, so close and yet so far away from Matt. All I had to do was mention my past with him and maybe I could let everything change. But would that really happen? Sometimes I felt as if I could just do one thing and everything would return the way it was. And others, I still felt as if I had done something that never would be forgiven.

I wanted Matt to hate me so badly. And another part of me hoped he never had.

"Miss Malibu?"

"Yes, sorry. What did you say?"

"I just wanted to say thanks again. I'm sure Hailey will enjoy your class very much." He held his hand to me and I shook it. "Have a great day."

A few more weeks passed, and the WWE made it's way back to Florida for events. It felt strange to know Matt Hardy was in the same state as me, standing on the same state ground that I was. I felt myself ache several times during the day, hoping somehow he knew I was thinking of him, and at the same time, praying he wasn't.

The children were excited, as it was Friday and the WWE was in town that night. Many were fans and had tickets for that night's show. Several children had on WWE t-shirts and were discussing superstars that were their favorites. I could see Hailey bite her tongue several times when someone mentioned they hated Edge.

However, there were many Hardy fans in the room, particularly Jeff. They loved his strange style, and the way he didn't care what others thought. They discussed his move set and how he jumped from high places. It made me happy that they didn't know about his struggle with drugs and only saw the talented and good-hearted man he was. They didn't need to know about that kind of thing.

It upset me when I did hear people talk about Jeff's past with drugs. Many people were quick to judge him for what he had done and many didn't know how nice he really was. Whether he struggled with drug use shouldn't have mattered. It wasn't their business and they didn't care about all the good parts of him. All they cared about was the gossip and trying to make his persona life a living hell.

I could still remember the talk we had one night late on the pond while everyone else slept.

_It was late and I could not sleep. I knew Matt had fallen asleep a few hours before, as his light had been off for nearly three hours and he would not answer my phone call as I quietly snuck the phone into my room to call him. Without him to comfort me, I decided the pond was my next best place to be._

_The air was calm and there was a sweetness to the air. A soft sound came from the water, fishes swimming beneath. I sat as close as I could, letting my feet soak there. Gentle waves coated them. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were all over. I laid back on the sand and closed my eyes, breathing in. How anyone could not love the country I did not understand._

_"I guess you can't sleep either."_

_I jumped back up, nearly falling into the water. I turned quickly and narrowed my eyes at Jeff, trying to hold back from screaming both at him, and from fear. "God, Jeff. You scared the living shit out of me."_

_He grinned. "Sorry."_

_"You look it," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "And no, I can't sleep."_

_"This is a good place to come," he whispered, sitting down next to me. He had on torn up jeans, ripped beyond repair. "I think I already told you I could here a lot."_

_I nodded. "You did. I can see why. It's nice."_

_"It is." He put his hands on his knees, setting his chin on top. He also took a deep breath and leaned back, staring at the stars. "I always wonder how many are in the sky. I know the people can predict, but how many are really there? Would there be enough for one star for each person or would there be more? I can't imagine it would be less."_

_I looked up at the stars, seeing each one pass my eyes and onto the next. Jeff was right… there were many stars to look at. He seemed to always bring up a topic I couldn't supply an answer to, but I didn't mind. I liked that kind of thing. It made me wonder and it gave me a chance to think._

_"I don't know," I finally said. "But I think they're pretty."_

_"I'm not going to say they're pretty."_

_I laughed at his expression. "You don't have to."_

_There was a brief silence. "Why can't you sleep?"_

_Taking a moment, I looked down at my jeans, seeing the edges were wet. I began to pick at the ends, pulling off pieces that had been destroyed in our adventures. There were spots that had a dark green color, results of running through a field earlier in the day, chasing after Matt who had taken my notebook because I wouldn't show him my story. Finally, I was able to tackle him to the ground, giving us a chance to really look at one another. It was a powerful moment, something I never wanted to forget. There was just something about being on top of him, feeling him breath beneath me while I looked into his eyes, seeing the security and the safety he wanted me to have. And then when he kissed me, it was so gentle and loving, I couldn't help but want to kiss him back and make him understand how much he meant to me._

_"Tiny?"_

_"What?" I asked._

_"You never answered my question about why you couldn't sleep." He made a face and leaned closer to me. I studied Jeff for a moment, wanting to perfect his face in my mind. His hair was light blond, barely coming above his eyes, giving just enough room to showcase the green beautiful eyes inside. They lit up when he was happy, and even in the dark right then, I could see them just as beautifully._

_"I don't want to sleep," I finally admitted. "I like for these days to go on for as long as they can. Sleep makes us miss out on some of the things we could be doing if we weren't sleeping. Why can't you sleep?"_

_Jeff shifted again, looking at the water. "I actually just had a nightmare."_

_"Do you want to talk about it?" I put my hand on his shoulder, seeing his face darken and those eyes cloud._

_He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "It was about my mother."_

_I felt my heart ache a little. I knew how hard it had been on their family when she died, and of course I had my own problems with my past. Could I handle talking about something like that with him?_

_"What happened?" I asked quietly._

_He looked at me sadly, as if he sensed my feelings on the topic. "It was perfect at first. It was summer and you were there. Matt and I were wrestling on the mat, and suddenly, she was calling us and we came. Matt hand his hand around yours and he just seemed so proud. I think it was the first time you were meeting her. He came up to her, smiling so widely and began to talk, motioning to you. My mother was just beaming at you. I pushed you forward, and Matt turned around to face you, but when we both looked back up, she was gone, and in her place was nothing but air." _

_He continued, "Then, it began to pour and the sky just got so dark. I couldn't see anyone, and we got separated somehow. I was in the woods and couldn't find my way home. I heard your voices, and my mother's voice. I barely remember it anymore, but I still know it when I hear it, if only in my dreams. I kept stumbling, but I couldn't find you guys. Then, I tripped over something in the dream and woke up."_

_I opened my mouth, but he stopped me. "I know it sounds like it wasn't that bad, but I haven't dreamed of her in such a long time. Actually, its been years. I just thought it was strange that you were in it and how happy she seemed to meet you."_

_I took another deep breath, and smiled at him. "Maybe I was meeting her. Maybe in your nightmare, it wasn't a nightmare at first. Maybe it's her way of saying hello from heaven."_

_He looked at me. "You think so?"_

_"I do." I set my hand on his knee. "I really do."_

_He made a face though and sighed. "Then what about the bad part?"_

_"You were scared of seeing her. You haven't seen her in so long… I know that scares me when I think of my father and brother."_

_Jeff nodded. "Matt told me about that…"_

_"Yeah…"_

_We grew quiet. "Do you feel better?" I asked._

_He shrugged and looked at the water again. "I think I do. I didn't think of it the way you did. I didn't take it as a message that maybe my mother is watching over us and really thinks greatly of you." He smiled. "But I can see why she does. I'm so glad Matt met you, Tiny. I mean that."_

_For some reason, tears filled my eyes. "Thanks."_

As school ended for the day, I saw Hailey waiting for me after all the other children had went into the hallways, making their way to their parents. "Miss Malibu?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to the WWE show tonight?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm not."

"My Daddy is going to be in the show." She smiled. "He does great. I have front row tickets."

We walked together down the hallways while she told me stories about her father and how cool his life was. I couldn't help but smile as she led me to where her mother was supposed to be waiting, but when I saw her face light up even more as I looked down at her, I knew it couldn't just be her mother.

It was Adam and he was standing there, someone behind him.

"Daddy!" she cried, running into his arms. He picked her up quickly and she hugged him. "Are you bringing me with you?"

"Yes, Hailey." He noticed me standing there. "Hello, Miss Malibu. How are you today?"

I smiled. "Good. How are you?"

But before he could answer, the person standing behind Adam stepped forward, and for the first time in sixteen years, I felt my knees go weak and my heart flutter as if I was seventeen again and back in North Carolina with him.

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	26. Close But Not Close Enough

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note:** Updating again. Thanks for the reviews! This chapter isn't the best, but I do like it. Enjoy!

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"Excuse me," I whispered, feeling my knees buckle as I tried to walk away as quickly as I could. My entire mind wouldn't work, all I knew is that I had to get away from the situation I was in right away, or I was going to have a really big problem in about five seconds. I hurried down the hallway, ignoring the people calling after me. I felt pathetic as tears came through my eyes and began to stain my shirt.

How was this possible? How did he sneak up on me without even knowing it? There was no way he could know that I worked here. It wasn't as if Adam knew anything about me and told him to wait there. Besides, why would he want to wait there… to see if I had become a bigger mess and to see what the time and damage had done?

When I got back to my classroom, I nearly melted into my seat, trying to control my breathing while memories blasted my brain, shaking and torturing me. A smile, a laugh, his voice. A look of love, a look of mischief, a look of sadness. A voice saying my name, a laugh as someone pulled me, a still moment where our eyes interlocked. A feeling of complete content which I hoped would never end. So, why did it?

Why was I such an idiot? I took a deep breath and put my hands together. How could I run away like that? Time made people age… it wasn't as if he even remembered what I looked like, right?

Except, I hadn't aged. I knew I looked exactly like I did back when I was a teenager, a blessing for some.

Looking down in the mirror, I saw who I was. There were these heavy tears in my lacking blue eyes, fear beneath the watery surface. My lips were in a deep frown, something that seemed to be there more and more each day. My hair was still a medium brown, thick and wavy, one of my better features. Even it was a mess today though. Skin which used to be glowing was dry and not shining, instead just holding onto my face. I wasn't the girl he used to know. I wasn't the girl he hoped he knew. I wasn't even the girl from that summer anymore.

About an hour later, when I was sure no one would still be waiting for me, I picked up my things and headed for the parking lot. The Miami heat blasted my skin as I rushed to the air, determined to get the air conditioner on and high as it could go. The radio was still on softly as it was that morning, two people talking about love.

I drove home quickly, fearing that if I looked anywhere other than in front of me, he'd be there. Waiting for an explanation… waiting for I didn't even know what.

My apartment was cool when I stepped in and turned on the news, deciding to make myself a salad and soup for the night. The news host was talking about the WWE being in town that night, mentioning people like Edge and other big stars. They showed the opening of Smackdown and I caught a glance of Matt.

The TV didn't show the compassion in his eyes, it didn't show the way he stood or the way he smiled… it didn't show Matt hardy. Whoever planned that opening didn't know him. They couldn't understand how much more was beneath that three second clip… and they never would. Even for a person who hadn't seen him in so long, but knew him one time like me… they could still see it. Because it was the first thing I did see when our eyes connected for the first time in almost twenty years a few hours earlier. I saw the exact same eyes as I did all those years back in that room, the same expression, the same Matt Hardy that never seemed to change.

That night, I found myself unable to stay asleep. I'd wake to his eyes, staring at me with the same shock I felt. I could see the relief and the fear, the wonder and the unbelievable feeling that came with finally seeing one another. I could almost hear his voice, the soft, country tone that would have said my name if I had given him the chance. I wouldn't have heard my name uttered so beautifully in many years.

Finally, I decided around three in the morning I would not be sleeping that night. I stood from my bed, the cool air conditioner's air brushing my skin. I threw on a pair of shorts and a shirt, grabbing my keys while I stepped from my door. I walked down the hallway, hearing nothing but quiet. Everyone else was asleep.

I got into the car and drove. I didn't know where I was going, but I didn't care. Miami was such a big city; you could drive for nearly an hour and still not see it all. All I could think about was his face; it just wouldn't leave my mind. It was the same face, no matter how many little things had changed on it over the years. His hair might have been longer and his skin more tanned, but no matter what… it was the same person.

I couldn't get over that.

It wasn't as if I expected it not to be him, for him to look drastically different than he did on TV, or to look like his brother, but I just thought it would never be the same feeling, the same lit up, happy eyes. He was happy, I knew that much. And you couldn't blame him for that. He had the perfect life almost. Matt had great friends and a wonderful family, complete with an amazing job and loud and loyal fans.

The light blinked green and I drove down the beach front street. There were a few people on the shore, walking and talking to each other. I wondered if one of those people were Matt, or one of his friends.

I turned into the parking lot and got out of the car, feeling the moisture hit my skin. The sand was soft to my feet as I walked through it, unable to believe I was doing this so late. It wasn't a safe place to be in Miami as a woman alone, but I didn't care. There was something leading me here, telling me that the beach was the place I needed to be.

I walked to the water's edge and put my feet in. The warm water rushed over my ankles, soaking my legs. I stopped about a foot in and stared into the dark water. And I saw his face. I closed my eyes and took a step back, unable to believe I couldn't go anywhere without seeing him.

When I took a step back, I didn't hit the air. I hit something hard… something tall. I hit a body.

I turned around and once more was shocked at what I saw.

But this time, there wasn't anywhere for me to run. There wasn't a way to get away… I was stuck in the moment with him and unable to move. My mouth opened, but not a sound came from it. My eyes were locked with his and the feeling was going through my body quicker than I could ever believe.

He didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring at me. I couldn't read his expression and I wasn't sure that I wanted to.

For a moment, I wanted to stay like this forever. Frozen and unable to move, given the chance to look at him for the rest of my life without a word leaving his lips. But things didn't work that way.

He picked up a finger and put it in my hair. His fingers remained there, staying right before my eyes. He brushed a few strands aside and smiled into my eyes. My heart ached as he picked up my hand with his other, holding it and squeezing it. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I was shaking and unable to believe we were finally together again.

Matt leaned forward and just before he kissed me, I woke up in bed all alone.

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	27. Unable

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note:** Updating again. Thanks for the reviews. This chapter starts what is the end of the story. There will be two or three more chapters. Enjoy!

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The TV was still on and more interviews were being held with WWE superstars. Much to my surprise, Matt was being interviewed. He was talking with his hands, something he did when he was excited. I still remembered that. He explained the concept of his online TV show and how he made sure everything always fell into place as a busy person. I listened to him until the interview was over and even stared at the screen until it was no longer talking about the WWE.

Then, I decided to get out of bed and get myself ready for the day. I showered and dressed, had some breakfast, and decided maybe I needed to go to the beach. All I could think about was that dream, and how I woke up sweating and wishing it were real. It seemed real, it seemed like if I wouldn't have woken up, we would have been together like we should have.

But it didn't work that way.

Unlike in my dream, the beach was crowded when I got there. Families were together, enjoying the warm weather and the beautiful beach. I could hear children screaming as I put down a blanket and sat near the water. The waves crashed, leaving nothing but sand once they were gone. The sounds were familiar, the sights as well.

Children were swimming, as were adults. The water looked perfect. I dug my feet into the sand and stared for a while, wondering if I walked into the water, if the person I was looking for would be behind me like last night. Closing my eyes, I imagined the dream again, wishing it were real.

"Miss Malibu!"

I opened my eyes in time to see Hailey come running up to me. She had on a bathing suit and was wet as if she had just gone swimming. Behind her, I saw Adam Copeland. He smiled at me and waved, trying to keep himself from being found my fans with sunglasses.

"Hi, Hailey," I said, smiling. "Did you enjoy the show last night?"

She nodded. "I did. Daddy was awesome." She took a seat next to me and stuck her small legs into the sand. "I wish you would have been there to see him. He was amazing. Right, Daddy?"

"Hailey," Adam said. "You should leave Miss Malibu alone. She doesn't want to be bothered."

Hailey pouted. I shook my head up at Adam and smiled. "It's fine. I don't mind."

He shrugged and took a seat too, still looking at his daughter as if he should do something. When he noticed me staring at him, he gave me a wide smile. "Hailey insisted that I come to the beach with her before she left. I forgot how great it is to be here. I never get to stop at the beaches when I'm on the road. There isn't time."

"When do you leave?"

He sighed. "Tomorrow night. I have to go to a taping for Smackdown and then I have other things all week long." Adam put his arm around his daughter. "I don't like to leave her, but I have to."

Hailey smiled. "When I'm older, Daddy says I'll come on the road with him and friends for a few days. But when I'm on vacation from school, of course. Daddy says I need to be there before he takes me for a while."

"Hailey, why don't you go play with the toys I bought you for a few minutes and I'll be there in a second. I'd like to talk with Miss Malibu."

She nodded and ran off toward another part of the beach, while Adam watched her. I smiled as she began to play. She was so happy to be there with him and it was obvious that he felt the same way. Then, he turned to me, and I remembered what he had just said. He wanted to talk to me.

"She's a good kid."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. But I didn't want to talk to you about Hailey."

"Oh?" I took a deep breath. This would not end well.

"No," he answered. "I was talking to a friend yesterday after I picked her up. Actually, we talked a lot yesterday before my match and I learned a lot that I didn't know before that."

I stared at him, wondering if he was going to say something that would make me want to run.

"That's always good," I said carefully.

He shook his head. "Are you a Florida native, Miss Malibu?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Where are you from?"

"All over," I admitted. "My mother and I lived in a lot of places when I was a kid."

He nodded at this and put his hands into the sand, leaving them there for a moment and then looked at them again. "I think we both know that this conversation is going to a place that we're both aware of."

"Excuse me."

"Don't act like didn't have any idea who I was before you met my daughter."

I blinked. "Of course I knew who you were. You're pretty famous."

Adam shook his head and looked at me with eyes that were not friendly. "No. Not like that. Do you know who the friend I was talking to yesterday is?"

"I'm sure I do," I said carefully. "I know a lot of the wrestlers in the WWE."

"Oh, stop acting like you don't know where I am going with this," Adam said, rolling his eyes. "We both know that something happened yesterday when I picked up my daughter. I didn't know however that you had a past with one of my closest friends in the company."

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

"It's not," Adam agreed. "But when you run away from someone who has been looking for you for years, it does become mine. Do you know how much pain you've put him through?"

I was getting angry from what Adam was talking about. Who did he think he was, trying to say something like that to me? He barely knew me and whatever he thought he did know was only one opinion. He needed to understand I had my reasons and to get angry with me over something he heard was not right.

Finally, I answered. "Do you know how much pain you put him though? Don't act like you didn't do something like that before."

"This has nothing to do with that. And that is the past."

"Well, so is what happened with me and him. I think it belongs there, and I think this conversation is over."

I stood up, grabbed my things and began to walk away. People were staring at us as he followed after me and grabbed me by the arm. "So this is where you're going to leave again, huh?" he said angrily. "I can't believe that he loved someone like you at one time. Because I can see that Matt deserved better."

I pulled my arm away and glared at him. "You're right."

As I began to get closer to my car, I could hear Adam still. "Just so you know, he's looking for you. He wants to see you again. I think it'd be good if you saw him."

It took all I had in me not to turn around and ask where he was staying. But I managed to make it inside of my car before I broke down, wondering how my life had become this once again. Everything Adam had said to me remained in my head as I drove home with tears, and I wished I didn't leave again. I wish I would have stayed on that beach and let him take me to Matt. I wished I could make that dream come true.

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	28. Almost Close Enough

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note:** Updating again. Thanks for the reviews. This is a short chapter. I think it will shock some of you in a good way. Enjoy!

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I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go find Matt and tell him I was sorry for any kind of pain I ever put him in. While I also wanted to stay and hide from him, hoping he'd never find me and I could live in pain for the rest of my life. Sometimes, I believed I deserved that. But then there was that girl inside of me, who could remember that summer and all the good that came from it. Each time that girl closed her eyes, she heard his laugh, remembered how it felt to lay with him on the trampoline, his arms around her waist.

I wiped tears away from my eyes and sighed. What was I doing? How was I allowing him to do this to me? What did it matter if he was looking for me? Why should I let Adam Copeland talk to me like that? What Matt and I had was in the past. There wasn't any way that we could still have something. Even if Matt didn't hate me, I knew that he had moved on and done something with his life. Something more memorable than what I was doing. Who was going to remember me ten years down the road?

Matt would.

I couldn't figure out where that answer came from, but it scared me. I took a deep breath where I sat and wondered if Matt would remember me ten years from now.

It made me realize that if I still remembered the details from nearly twenty years ago, Matt probably did too. There wasn't any way I didn't leave those kind of memories with him. Why was I doing this? Why didn't it occur to me sooner that I was torturing not only me, but him too? He probably wondered what ever happened to me. Didn't he deserve something in return?

Looking at myself in the mirror, I was angry. How could I claim to love Matt and do something like that? I smashed my hands on the counter, ignoring the pain that followed. Why couldn't I have realized this sooner? Adam had probably already gone back to Matt and told him what I said.

He would be gone in a few hours and I had once again ruined the only chance I ever had with happiness.

Everything began to make sense. I was an idiot. But it was more than that. I had a chance to make everything right and I didn't. My eyes looked back into the mirror, and I stared at myself for a moment. Then, I ran from the room and into the bedroom. Quickly, I threw things into a bag and wondered where the most important part of this was. I ran into the kitchen. Where did I put it? Finally, I found what I was looking for. I picked it up with shaking hands and stared down at the white paper. Then, I walked back into my room and put it in the bag.

It was nearly five in the morning when I got into the car and began to drive from Miami up toward where I wanted to go. I didn't know how I was going to get there, but I knew where I was going. I took a deep breath as the sign said I was leaving the state of Florida and entering another. It would only be a few hours now.

I had this chance. I needed to make it right. I would. I had to.

Rain began to fall as I drove through another state, making it hard to understand where to go. But finally, nearly eight hours later, I entered the state where I wanted to go to. Even twenty years later, I still knew exactly where to drive and when I pulled into that small town, I felt my heart jump inside of me. Everything looked exactly the same.

I pulled down the road I once lived on, looking at each house as I passed. I stopped for a moment, looking at the house I once lived in. There was a car there, another family living in a place I once lived in. I stared for a while and then continued to drive until I saw the large house. It wasn't the house that I knew all those years ago, but you could tell it was his. It was beautiful and I saw his dreams just by looking at it.

Carefully, I parked my car and noticed several cars parked nearby. I walked slowly up the steps and stood before the door, wondering if I knocked, who would answer. But I didn't knock. I pulled the white paper from my pocket and stared at it. Rain fell on his name, but you could still read it.

With a deep breath, I tucked it into the door and stared once more. It was the note that I should have given him all those years back. Then, I stepped down and walked back to my car, sitting there. I drove all the way back to North Carolina to leave a note that was years old. Somewhere inside of that house was Matt Hardy. He was the closest to me he had been in years and he didn't even know it.

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. When I looked at the house again, there was a woman standing in the doorway. I couldn't see her face but she was holding the note in her hands. She turned in the doorway and said something to someone, taking the note and passing it that way. Then, as another person stepped onto the steps, I started my car and drove down the road.

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	29. Almost There

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note: **Updating again. Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is the second to last chapter. It is a little strange, but it will all end better. Enjoy!

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I drove for a while, passing things that looked familiar and brought more memories back. Each time a memory came back, I would pull over and feel myself wish I could have done more than leave a note. I wasn't sure if I was ready to see him yet and I had no idea what I was going to say when we did finally meet up. We would have to eventually. After giving him that note, it left more than words with him. It left what I should have done all those years ago.

I came up the road and looked at the house again. There was a light on in one of the rooms, several people standing inside. I couldn't tell who they were, but something told me one of those people was Matt. My breathing grew heavy and I closed my eyes as if he knew I was sitting there and watching him.

Then, I remembered something and turned my car off. I walked into the rain, hearing it fall around me as I made my way into the woods. It was hard to see and I wasn't even sure if it was still there. Time could have taken it with it, or maybe it broke one day and he never got it fixed. As I walked, I saw the house that Matt grew up in and there was also a light on inside. I bet his father was sitting in there, the same man who loved his sons more than they could ever imagine.

I stared at it for a while, wondering how it had changed. Everything looked the same.

Finally, I stopped walking and stood at shock to see it was still there and not ruined. My eyes were happy and I felt myself walking towards it, pulling myself on top of it and lying there. I looked up at the sky and saw the rain pouring. It hit the trampoline and fell onto me, leaving me soaked, but I didn't care. If I wasn't ready for Matt, I was ready for this. This made me remember a good memory, a memory I didn't want to let go of.

I thought about the lake and how I spent the majority of my time there. It was such a beautiful place, one the boys loved as much as I did. I remembered tossing my writings into the water, the ones I knew Matt would find later and try to understand. He always wanted to know what I was writing and hated that I wouldn't show him.

"You really are here," a voice said, shocking me. I turned to see the familiar eyes and a smile spread on my face. I couldn't help it; he was always a person I was happy to see. "I can't believe it."

I didn't say anything as the person came closer. I didn't expect him to be angry with me, I expected him to understand like he always had.

"Jeff," I said softly, sitting up. "Hi."

"You look exactly the same," he muttered, crawling up the trampoline. He touched my hair and I looked at him, smiling still.

"You don't," I muttered, looking at him. "But I guess that's okay."

He didn't say anything for a moment, only stared at me. Maybe he was angry, or maybe it wasn't that either. Maybe he was just trying to figure out why I was here, back where it all seemed to be. I was shocked he knew where to find me, but I really shouldn't have been. Jeff always seemed to know more than most expected. He had his problems, but he was still a person that many wished to be and you could see why. He was Jeff Hardy. He was Jeff Hardy and that was what people liked.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. "I hope you all know that."

Jeff shook his head, looking toward where the house was. "I don't need to hear that. You should know that."

"Jeff."

"What?"

I took a deep breath. "Is he home?"

"He's holding the letter."

"He read it?"

"We all did."

I felt myself look away. I wasn't sure who he meant by all, but I knew it had to be a few people. I wasn't sure what he thought either. It was hard for me to see what he thought, another thing he was good at.

"I know I shouldn't have come."

He looked back at me. "Why not?"

I shrugged.

Jeff sighed and stood in front of me. "I don't know why you're here, Tiny."

"I thought I should be."

He made a face.

"I know."

He leaned against the trampoline, shaking his head. It was such an awkward conversation and I didn't want him to leave. Because once he went back to Matt, Matt would know that I was here and he would find me. I didn't want to leave though. I wanted to stay here. I just wish I knew what I wanted to say.

"I'm going to the lake," I said softly and got off the trampoline.

He followed after me. "Adam told us everything he knows."

"Adam."

"Yeah."

I shook my head.

We got to the lake and I sat down in the sand as Jeff sat down next to me. I looked at the water and wondered how much longer until Matt realized Jeff was with me.

"You need to talk to him."

"I will."

"When?"

I shook my head again. "I need to think first."

"You've had nearly twenty years to think!" Jeff said, looking at me. "How much more do you have to think?"

He was getting angry now and I knew it. I took a deep breath and sighed. "I need to think."

Jeff stood up and walked away. "Whatever."

I walked around for a while, looking at everything. It was so awkward to be back here, but it was amazing as well. I could feel the summer in the air and I knew he was close. Close as he had been in a long time. I wanted to talk to him, but I still didn't know what to say. There was so much to talk about, so much I should have said a long time ago and wished I could now.

Didn't Jeff see that?

Then, it took me only seconds to realize where I needed to go. I took a deep breath and began to walk there and when I got to the door, I knocked. I didn't know if the person would remember me, but as soon as the door opened, I knew he did.

"Tiny," he whispered. "What are you doing here?"

He wasn't angry. I was shocked.

"I need to talk to you."

He pulled me inside and closed the door. Matt Hardy's father and I sat down in the kitchen and he stared at me for a while. I finally looked at him and sighed. "Did you know I love your son?"

"I always knew that, Tiny."

I smiled. "Does he know that?"

Matt's father sighed. "I saw the look in his eyes the moment he met you and you met me. I knew he loved you the moment he met you, Tiny. I always knew that. You loved each other. I was happy you had met and I wished that I would be calling you my daughter by now."

Tears came into my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No."

"I am."

"I know you are, but you don't have to be."

I stared at him and then knew what he meant. There wasn't a reason to be sorry. Matt's father understood everything that had ever happened with Matt and me so easily. "What should I say to him?"

"Matt is a hard person to talk to."

I rolled my eyes. "I know."

He shrugged. "You just have to talk to him. That's all you can do, Tiny."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He stood up and hugged me. "You're welcome."

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	30. Whole

**Disclaimer: **I own Tiny.

**Author's Note: **Here it is. The last chapter of Destiny. Hard to believe how much this story has done and how much you all have loved it. Trust me, I thank you all for the reviews and everything you have done for this story. It's definitely been a long time, but I think it's time for this story to end. Maybe there could have been more, but I think this is the way that they will end. I thank you for the reviews and I hope that you think the last chapter is good. Enjoy!

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I walked back to the lake and sat there for a while. There was so much to think about, so much that I needed to tell Matt. But it all was said in the one note that I left for him to read not too long ago. According to Jeff, he had read it, as did everyone else. It made me wonder what he thought. Did he not care anymore and would he just look at me when I finally talked to him? Or would he tell me that twenty years didn't change anything. I knew he had moved on, that much I knew.

I sighed and looked at the water, seeing that summer one more time. I realized I wasn't going back to that summer. We were no longer that young and now we were adults. Maybe that was what Jeff was trying to say. Maybe it was time I acted like an adult and stopped trying to live as a child.

The rain continued to fall. I was wet and a little cold, tired and aching. I needed to talk to Matt and I knew I couldn't wait much longer. If I didn't talk to him soon, he wouldn't even care anymore. I just knew that. I knew he was going to get tired of waiting for me to come. If he wanted me to come talk to him at all. But Jeff made it seem like he did, so I was going to find him.

I stood up and walked toward his house, passing the things I spent that summer with. There were parts that reminded me of then and how it felt to be there. I took a deep breath each time and remembered I had to do what I needed to. I needed to talk to Matt.

When I got to the door, I didn't knock. I didn't need to because Matt opened the door when seconds later. He looked at me, emotions on his face. There was anger, sadness, happiness, and maybe even more. I tried to put an expression on my face, but it wouldn't work. I simply nodded my head and then looked at my feet. Matt didn't say anything, but walked into the house.

I could hear people talking not too far away as I looked at the house he lived in. It was a beautiful place and I knew he loved it. Matt didn't talk still, but he pointed to the couch and left the room. I wasn't sure where he went, but I took a seat, knowing I was wet and thinking it would make him mad.

A few minutes later, a woman I recognized as Jeff's wife, Beth walked into the room. She looked at me, smiled and walked upstairs. I didn't know what to say to her either, but I didn't need to say anything. She wasn't someone I needed to explain things to. I wasn't even sure if I needed to explain things to Matt.

I could hear Jeff's voice in the kitchen. It was too quiet to hear exactly what he was saying. Then, he walked into the room too and walked up the stairs as well. Matt came into the room seconds later, holding a cup and a blanket. He put the cup on the table and then put the blanket on my shoulders. Even after all the years, I felt myself wish he would touch me, more than what he had just done. I smiled at him as he sat down and looked at me.

I didn't know what to say. After all the thinking and all the wondering, we were sitting next to each other, and I had no idea what I was supposed to say to him. Tears began to fall from my eyes and unlike what he did when we were younger, he didn't comfort me. He stared at me, those same, beautiful eyes. I wanted to say something, make sense for him.

But the letter said it all.

Where was the letter?

Finally, Matt sighed. "I didn't believe Jeff when he said he saw you here."

I looked at him.

He shook his head. "I thought he was lying to me or something. I couldn't believe him. It's been nearly twenty years and you decide today would be a good day to come back and leave a note like that?"

I opened my mouth, but I didn't say anything. I felt stupid and annoyed with myself. All these years I had things I wish I could have said to him and I wished I could have made things right. But being next to him, it was hard. I couldn't think. Matt was there. He was next to me.

Matt laughed. "I thought maybe it wasn't a real note either. But Jeff found you and said it was. We read it and wondered who else could have left it. Other than my father, Shannon, Jeff, and Beth, no one else knows about you. I never mentioned you to any of the other people I've dated. I've never even explained what anything I said in the WWE meant. They had no idea what Unlock Your Destiny meant. They never understood how I got the things I said. Amy thought it was all about her, but she made me realize things. I couldn't let someone like her ruin me again. It took a while, but I did realize this. Jeff helped. Beth is great too."

"Matt?" I whispered. I couldn't believe I said his name.

He looked at me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For everything. I'm sorry."

"I never believed you would come back. I thought for a while after you left that you'd take a few months and maybe then you'd call me, or at least let me know you were okay. Do you know what's its like to go nearly twenty years wondering if someone you care about is okay? I had no idea where you were. I had no way of contacting you. And I tried. I tried for years."

I continued to cry. "I'm sorry."

"And then last week when my friend and I go pick up his daughter, I see you. And you look exactly the same. I can't believe it. Then you run away. The thing you always did. I thought maybe twenty years would have changed that. It never did."

"Matt, I'm sorry."

"I always wondered if you ever watched me, or even cared that Jeff and I made it to where we wanted to be. Because I thought of you before every match and I thought about how you were the person who made my life better. We shared something and I never forgot that. I wasn't sure if you did, but I know I never would. We were something and I never wanted to let that go."

"I never stopped thinking about you."

He didn't even look at me. "I made my career about you. I made sure that everyone that saw me understood that we all had fate and we all controlled how we got there. We needed to find our destiny and then let it take us to where we wanted to be. But I couldn't do that. Because my destiny ran away and left me for twenty years wondering what happened to her. I wanted to find her so badly but she never seemed to even care. She picked up and left, never bothering to say anything but that fucking note that said everything that summer was a lie. But I knew it wasn't. I knew that she just wanted to make everything go away. Because she was scared that maybe I was the one who stuck around. She couldn't understand why. So she ran."

"She came back," I whispered. "Matt, let me talk."

He laughed. "I pictured this moment for years. I wondered what it would be like if I ran into you and we finally saw each other. I imagined you would do the same thing you always fucking did. Run away. But there was a part of me that said you would stay and we would get married. You'd have babies and there would be someone to call my father grandpa. It was something I wanted for years. Maybe I was stupid because I never gave up on it. I believed you would come back."

He wouldn't stop talking and I felt myself crying still. I wanted to do so many things but he wouldn't listen. I finally realized there was only one thing that would make him listen. I stared at him as he continued to talk and I wondered if it would really make him stop. My mind had thought of saying it to him for years. My heart knew it from the moment I met him. I felt it when we were in each other, letting emotions take control.

Matt Hardy was my everything; he was the one person who was able to know me unlike everyone else. He understood what I had gone through and didn't care that I was a damaged person. He just didn't care. And I ran away from one of the few people who always cared about me. He cared. He knew that I would come back. Even though he was talking now about everything but that, he knew I would come back. And maybe I did too. Because the letter I left him wasn't what I needed to write.

I didn't need to write it.

I stood up and walked into the kitchen. The letter was sitting on the table. I picked it up and read the words and sighed. Then, I walked back where he was sitting and put the note down. He looked at it and then looked away.

I made him look at me. I felt the tears in my eyes and I sighed. "I love you," I whispered. He gave me a look I'd never forget. "I love you."

Matt stared at me for a long time and I wondered if maybe I was wrong. But then he leaned closer and he kissed me, hard and passionate, loving and gentle. I couldn't believe after almost twenty years, I was kissing the man I was in love with. The only man who I knew loved me and had loved me for twenty years.

Then, he sat up and stared at me. He looked so sad yet happy and then he smiled. "I've always loved you," he whispered. "I've loved you since the moment I met you."

"I should have told you. I shouldn't have left."

He shook his head, pulling me closer. "I should have told you. You needed a reason to stay."

There were so many emotions and so many things that still needed to be talked about. I wasn't sure if we were going to be okay and where this would go, but I knew I was finally at the place I was supposed to be at. I was where destiny had led me. It was more than my name; it was more than some thing that always seemed to be in my life. It was what made me Matt's destiny and what made Matt mine. It led me to him. He was right; I needed a reason to stay. And now I had it. I was in the place I wanted to be. The place I should have been all along.

I took a deep breath. "What if I had a reason to stay?"

Matt smiled. "Then I'd tell you that you should know you were welcome a long time ago."

I smiled too. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "I know."

"We need to talk about so much."

Matt sighed and nodded. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Then, he gave me another smile. "I'm not worried. We have time."

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